


Just Take This Heart

by jgjbanker



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 65,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26018170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jgjbanker/pseuds/jgjbanker
Summary: Casey and Brett's friendship has continued to grow over the last year.  But they have both been hurt in the past, and worry about losing each other's friendship. Will they both be too scared to see what they can become together?
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 91
Kudos: 126





	1. The Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray in fan fiction. However, reading all of your stories inspired me to try one of my own. This will hopefully be a multi chapter arc that will take these characters further than the show has, along with the inevitable bumps in the road along the way. This story starts where episode 8.19 ended. Comments are always welcome. 
> 
> I don't own any of these characters from Chicago Fire. Please forgive any spelling mistakes or typos.
> 
> I will apologize in advance for my punctuation. My middle school English teacher would kill me if she knew how bad I still am at it.

Casey left the hospital with the rest of 51 when Joe Cruz was released, after getting several stitches to fix a cut above his left eye. Why Cruz decided to work the shift before his wedding, he would never know. "Nerves", said Cruz. Casey just hopes that his soon to be wife Chloe will forgive Cruz for showing up at their wedding, which was now less than 2 hours away, with a bandaged face. He also prays Chloe will forgive him and Severide for letting Cruz get hurt in the first place.

Casey starts heading towards his truck, already dressed in his black tux and white shirt, sans his bowtie. He feels the cut on his lip one more time. What a terrible shift they had had, with protesters storming 51, chaining themselves to the fire engine, and even invading the bullpen. Sylvie Brett had a worse shift, if that was even possible. After her biological mother, Julie, died giving birth to Brett's sister, Julie's husband Scott had informed Brett that he wanted her to take her sister, or he would put her up for adoption. Casey could never understand why someone, anyone, would not want to keep their biological child. Giving up his foster son, Louie, had about broken him. Casey and Brett had shared a conversation in his quarters earlier about what Scott had said and what she was going to do. Brett broke down crying again. Why was she the one always having to go through these storms? Casey couldn't stand to see her cry. It made him want to take her in his arms and protect her. Knowing Brett was adopted herself, he couldn't help put wonder what she was going through in light of Scott's bombshell. 

While Casey walks through the parking lot, he feels a slight chill in the air. He finds his 1999 grey Chevy Silverado, unlocks the door, and hops into the cab. He turns the ignition and the engine roars to life. He pushes the heat lever to the maximum it would go, and turns the fan up. He is hoping that the truck warms up quickly on his trip to the church. As he heads toward the church, Casey takes a minute to appreciate the beauty of his city. While on shift, he is only focused on the job, and sometimes misses all his city had to offer. Whether it is the beauty in the skyline, the rivers flowing through the city, or even the houses of every age and design that he passes on these secondary roads, it was easy to understand why people love Chicago. He certainly does.

Casey arrives at the church with plenty of time to spare. He finds a parking spot along the back of the church and sees Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd entering through the Church's back door. He gets out, and picks up his overcoat. He quickly decides not to take it in and throws it back onto the passengers seat. One less thing to keep up with tonight he thinks. He takes a second to admire the church building. Thsiparticular church building is very old, and he knows some of the history of it from his high school years. He can't image how anyone built something, on this grand a scale, almost a 100 years ago. The contractor in him appreciates the significance of the building, as well as the event he is here to witness. Matt quickly walks in the door to get away from the chill that is already creeping back in. The back rooms, where the wedding parties are at, is a buzz of activity. He sees Kidd walking towards a hallway to his right.

"Kidd, where is Severide at?" he says.

"He just went to see Cruz in the grooms suite", she replies. "Go up to the next hall on your left, and Cruz and the guys are in the room at the end of the hall."

"Thanks Kidd. By the way, have you seen Brett yet?

A smile breaks out over Stella Kidds' face. Of course Casey would ask where Brett was. She has seen the way that Brett and Casey have begun to look at each other. The way Brett seeks out Casey when she needs someone other than her girls to talk to. Kidd has even made some subtle comments to Brett over the last few weeks about asking Casey out, most which only caused Brett to blush. "Yeah, she is changing into her dress right now. I will tell her you are looking for her."

"You don't have to do..." Casey replies, but Kidd is already walking away from him. He knows he will see Sylvie soon. Heck, he is escorting her down the aisle. He just wants to check and see how she is doing before the service started. To say Brett has had a rough couple of months is an understatement. She starts dating CFD Chaplain Kyle. They break up, then Kyle proposes to Brett out of the blue and she says yes. She then moves back to her hometown of Folwerton, Indiana, only to return to Chicago after breaking off the engagement with Kyle after just a few weeks. Then Brett's pregnant biological mother reaches out to her and they meet and start to get close. Unfortunately, Julie passes away leaving Brett with a sister that now may end up an orphan. Through all of it, though, he and Brett have somehow become closer. It started when Gabby left them to go to Puerto Rico. She then had the audacity to send him divorce papers through the mail without even a phone call. It seemed like more and more lately, Casey seeks her out during their shifts. Whether it is to actually talk, or even to just see her, he feels the need to have her close to him. He still kicks himself for suggesting that Brett get back with Kyle in the first place, which he is afraid partially led to her accepting his proposal. But even after their engagement ended and she returned to Chicago, he also feels like she reaches out to him when she has a problem or just needs someone to talk to. Casey finds that he looks forward to conversations with Brett more and more. 

To think about all that Brett has gone through, most people wouldn't even find the strength to get out of bed if they only faced a portion of it. Brett is different though. He is not sure he has ever known a stronger woman than her. She takes all that the world throws at her and still keeps smiling. She Is even still hopeful...how he can't comprehend. He can't even begin to understand how she does. He only wishes he had a little bit more of that in him.

Casey walks into the room where Cruz, Severide, and all the other groomsmen are at. He pulls his black bowtie from his tuxedo jacket, finds a mirror, and quickly ties it on. Matt has never been much of a tie wearer, as he feels like he is being choked. Probably one of the many reasons he decided to give up being an alderman he thinks. He glances over his shoulder at Cruz. If Joe is nervous now about getting married, you can't tell it, as he is cracking jokes with the his friends standing around him. Severide walks over to where Matt is standing with a smile on his face. 

"Pretty good way to end a bad shift, don't you think?", Severide says.

"Yep" jokes Casey. "At one point, I would have married off you and Kidd to get that damn shift over."

Severide rubs his jaw, as if pondering that option. "Yeah, I am definitely glad it didn't come to that" he says with a laugh.

Casey quickly interjects. "Laugh now my friend. But when I look at the landscape of 51, you and Kidd look to be next in line."

"Oh Lord," Severide says, while shaking his head. "I can think of 2 to 3 more folks who might walk down the aisle before me. Yourself included."

Casey looks at Severide as if he has just grown a second head. "Don't you think you should at least let me find someone to date before you have me married off?"

Severide chuckles and gives Matt a pat on the back. "I think we both know who you could date, if you would just get off your butt and do something about it."

Matt slowly shakes his head. This isn't the first time that Kelly has insinuated that their is more to he and Brett than just friendship. "Kelly, we are just friends. She has been going through a lot and I have just been trying to be there for her." Casey runs his hand through his hair and looks down. He hopes Kelly buys into what he is telling him. It is partially true after all.

The playfulness in Kelly's face slowly fades, and he gives Matt an earnest look. "I know man. I also know that you are constantly looking for her, whether we are on shift, at Molly's, or even walking to and from our cars. You don't do that with anyone else. I will also tell this, and I mean this man. Brett is one of the truly good catches out there. If you aren't willing to make a move soon, don't be surprised if someone else does."

Casey's brow furrows. If anyone else had just told him what Kelly did, he would take it as a warning that the other guy was getting ready to hit on Brett. He knows Kelly is just trying to be a good friend though.

"You're right Severide. I just worry about asking her out and her saying no. Or her saying yes and we don't work out and I lose her friendship. Or worse yet, she says yes and I screw it up somehow? How uncomfortable would 51 become them?"

Severide's smile comes easy at his friend's response. "I knew you liked her! Well, it's good to know that at least you have thought about. But instead of playing out all those scenarios in your head, why don't you just ask her out in real life and see how it goes?"

Matt knows that Kelly has caught him. His stoic facade quickly fades away. "Just don't tell anyone, okay? Especially not Stella."

Kelly laughs again, harder this time. "Oh trust me dude, Stella already knows. Heck, half of 51 knows."

Casey drops his head into his hands. Great he thinks. Half of 51 knows he has a crush of their beautiful PIC. Could this day get any worse? They suddenly hear a soft knock on the door, and it slowly cracks open. Brett sticks her head in and looks around until she locks eyes with Casey. 

"Hey" she says, "Stella said you were looking for me?"

Matt quickly walks over to door, hearing Kelly snickering in the background. He turns and shoots Kelly his best "shut up" look. Instead it has the opposite affect, and Kelly laughs out loud as Matt steps outside the door and shuts it.

"Are you okay Casey?" Brett says. "I saw you holding your head. Do you have a headache?"

If you only knew Casey thought. "Just a little one, nothing to worry about." He takes a second to look at the women that stood before him. Her blond hair is partially up, with strands of hair falling around her face. She has on a royal blue dress that shows the slightest hint of cleavage. 

"Sylvie, you look amazing" he says, meaning every word. 

"Thank you Casey" she says. "You clean up pretty well yourself." Brett had never seen Casey this dressed up. Yes, she had seen him in a suit and tie several times, but Casey in a tux is a whole new look for her. She doesn't know how, she admits to herself, but somehow he looks even more good looking than ever. She clears her throat and asks, "Did you need something?" She reaches out absentmindedly with her thumb and clears a smudge off of Casey's check. 

The feel on her hand on his face, even though it was just for a second, sends Casey's pulse racing. "I just wanted to check on you," Casey replies. "I know that the news that Scott dropped on you had you a little upset. Just wanted to make sure you were okay." 

Brett smiles to herself. Of course Casey would search her out to ask her if she was okay. This man before her had to be one of he most caring people she knew. Whether Matt Casey knew it or not, he had become her rock over the last few months. Yes, she could always talk to Stella or Foster, and even her parents for that matter. But if she was really feeling down or unsure about something, she sought him. He always listened and never judged. He also would sometimes give her a hug that made her feel warm., safe, and cared for.

"I'm better Casey. When we were at the hospital with Cruz, I went up and talked to Scott. I don't know if it made a difference, but I felt like I said what I needed to say. The rest is up to him now."

Matt looks intently into her eyes while she speaks, causing Brett's heart to beat faster. He always looks her right in the eyes. Not like some men whose eyes she could feel roam her body when she was telling them something important to her. She swore, it was almost like he was sometimes trying to look into her soul through her eyes.

"I know that was hard for you", he says, in a voice much more sensitive than what anyone at 51 normally hears. "Just remember that I am here for you. Any day or time, okay?"

Brett takes in a slow breath before she answers him. There were times just like this, over the last few months, that Casey had sought her out just to check on her. To say she didn't enjoy these times together, however brief they may be, would be an understatement. If she was honest with herself, she had picked up her phone more times than she could count, wanting to call him. Wanting to just hear his voice. Wanting to feel his arms wrapped around her again like the hugs he would sometimes give her. It didn't matter if it was during the day or in the middle of the night, she would find herself longing to hear his voice. But she never actually placed any of these calls. She was worried that if she did, Casey would see right through her and he would know just how much she actually likes him. And how much more she wants from him.

"I appreciate it Matt, more than you know" she says. Using his first name always seems so intimate to her, but she doesn't know why. She does know one thing...she likes how it sounds when she says it.

He nods his head, as if hearing these words is an unspoken agreement that she will actually take him up on his offer to be there for me. They find their bodies inching closer together. "Just do one thing for me Sylvie."

"Anything Matt."

"Make sure and save me a dance tonight" he says, with a smile that makes her knees go weak.

"Only if you save me two" she says, smiling back at him while she feels her cheeks blush. She decides quickly that flirting with Casey is something she wants to do more of.

He slowly reaches out and gently pushes a strand of her hair behind her ear. He smile widens even more. "You can have as many dances as you want." And with that, he turns and heads back into the room with Severide.

She waits until he closes the door behind him to exhale. She looks around the hallway to see if anyone noticed them. She has no idea what just happened, only that she feels herself falling for him a little more.

_______________________________

The wedding venue is beautiful, and it is only right that all of their 51 family is there. Gallo and Ritter are walking female attendees down the aisle, while Herman and Mouch look like they can't wait until the reception to grab a beer. Chief Boden is doing his best to not direct his people around the church. Casey knows that Brett helped Chloe with some wedding preparations, and he swears he can see a little bit of Brett in the church decor. 

"Places everyone, places" announces the wedding planner. "Best man Kelly and Stella, you two are first, and then Matt and Sylvie, it will be your turn." Casey extends his right arm to Brett, and she gladly takes it as they follow Severide and Kidd down the aisle towards a smiling Joe.

The marriage ceremony is incredible, with the minister tossing in firefighting references for Cruz's behalf. Cruz and Chloe also have written their own vowels for the ceremony. In spite of all this, Casey has a hard time not staring at the beautiful Brett across the stage from him. Brett looks back at Casey, with a smile that lights up the building. Casey returns her smile with his own, and gives her a wink. "Focus Casey, Focus" he thinks, and turns back towards Cruz and Chloe.

'I now pronounce husband and wife" the minister says. "You may now kiss your bride". Casey watches as a smiling Cruz kisses Chloe. Everyone in the church begins clapping. The smiling, newly married couple make their way back down the aisle, and Brett once again takes Casey's arm as it is their turn to leave. As they are walking towards the back of the church, Casey whispers, "Now to the part I was looking forward to the most tonight, pictures!"

Brett catches his sarcastic tone and lightly slaps at his chest. "Matthew Casey, you will be in these wedding pictures and you will be happy about it!", she teases. "And you also will smile...with teeth showing and everything."

Casey chuckles as he squeezes Brett's arm a little tighter to him. In truth, the only thing Matt is thinking about is dancing with Brett tonight.

As always, the wedding pictures take an inordinate amount of time. This group, that group, the whole group. Now just the bride and groom. The whole thing seems to take forever. Stella can see both Severide and Casey are getting antsy to get to the reception.

"Last picture with the groomsmen, and then you are free to go" says the wedding photographer. "Yes" says Severide, "about time."

The picture is taken and the groomsmen start to make their way towards the reception, which is being held in an annex building behind the church. Casey looks back and sees Brett laughing with Kidd, as they change places for the next picture. Stella catches Casey's glance, and Casey knows he has been caught. He quickly turns to catch up with Severide, turning up his tuxedo collar to push back the chill.

"Um hum" Kidd whispers to Brett. "Guess who was just looking your way before he left to go to the reception?"

Brett's quickly looks up, hoping to see Casey, but only sees his back as he walks away. "I am sure he wasn't looking at me, probably just looking at Chloe and Cruz".

"Yeah right Brett, do you really think I believe that"

"Everyone smile for the camera" says the photographer.

Brett smiles, and then when the picture is taken, turns to Kidd. "Well, we did have an interesting conversation before the wedding. He asked me to save a dance for him tonight. I'm just not sure if he is being nice based on the terrible day we had, or if he actually likes me?"

"About time he made some kind of move", replies Kidd. "It's not like he hasn't had his chances. If you ask me, you just need to go up to him, push him against a wall, and kiss him. Then you will know for sure."

"Stella, you know I would never do that, right?"

"And that's why you should Brett. Once and for all let him know where you stand and let the cards fall where they may."

Brett groaned. She would never kiss Casey out of the blue. She is still worried he doesn't feel the same way for her as she does for him. She's not sure that if she kissed him and he didn't kiss her back, she could survive the embarrassment. She would have to crawl into her bed and never come out. Besides, Casey was now one of her closest friends. Could they still be as close as they had gotten if she told him her feelings and he didn't reciprocate them? 

"Okay folks, we are done!". The photographer's voice snapped her out of her thought. "Congratulations to the happy couple and I will see you all at the reception."

Brett looked at Stella and gave her a half smile. They both picked up the hem of their dresses and started walking towards the reception in silence.

Kidd spoke first. "Look, I know this is tough for you Brett, but Casey's a really good guy. All the time I have spent with him and Kelly at home...I don't how to tell you, but just trust me. The Casey you see at work is the same Casey you see at home, just more relaxed. And even though he and I don't spend a lot of time talking one on one, I can tell that he is lonely. Kelly has even mentioned it to me before. Casey is happy now, but he's not as happy as he could be if he was with you."

Brett thought about what her friend was saying as they walked. Goose bumps were starting to form on her sleeveless arms. "When did it get so cold?" she asked Kidd, hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction. 

"I don't know" Kidd replies, "but I am looking forward to being in Kelly's arms in a few minutes."

Stella knew that their brief talk would get Brett thinking. Brett had been in and out of relationships since she had known her. And if the relationship was good, Brett was always happier. Unfortunately, she just hadn't had many good relationships. It seemed like Brett was always settling when it came to the men she dated. Instead of holding out for what she was looking for, she took what she could get. She did it with Cruz, when they briefly dated. She definitely did it with Kyle. She had also done it with her boyfriend back home, Harrison. The only relationship she hadn't done it with was Antonio. But they went from 0-100 faster than Foster did, which must have been some kind of record she thought. When Antonio and Brett broke up, everyone, including them, knew it was for the best. Kidd also knew that Brett was one of those "touchy feely" types. Always the person to give a hug to her or Foster if they were having a bad day. She just seemed to need, and to want to give back, that affirmation to the people she was close with. She had even hugged Casey quite a few times. And even though she denied it, she knew her best friend's feelings for Captain Casey ran much deeper than she let on.

They made their way together into the reception hall. To say the place was packed was like saying the people of Chicago loved pizza. There were people everywhere. Brett's eyes scanned the room, looking for a certain tall blonde Captain. She saw a hand go up out of the corner of her eye, and sees Casey stand up from his table and motion the two of them over. Brett and Kidd push their way through the throngs of people. Were there even this many people at the wedding, Brett thought, or is the room just small? They finally make their way to table where Casey and Severide are at. Casey pulls out a chair for Brett to sit in, while Kidd gives Severide a kiss.

"Wasn't sure you would actually be able to get over here," Casey says while handing her a glass of her favorite wine. "For a second there we thought we were going to have to have Chief starting telling people to make a lane" he jokes.

Brett gladly accepts the wine, takes a sip, and quickly waves to Chief Bodden and his wife Donna at the next table. "Kidd and I were afraid we wouldn't be able to find you two." Brett takes another sip of her wine. Just like the gentleman Casey always is, not only had he saved her a seat, but he had also got a glass of her favorite wine for her without her even asking. Sometimes, she felt like he knew her better than anyone else at 51, Kidd and Foster included. Brett takes a second to look around the room. Tables are full of happy people, laughing and having a good time. She smiles at Foster, who is standing up about 10 feet away, trying to find her next conquest. Surprisingly, the only place where there aren't any people is the dance floor. She feels her mouth go a little dry at the thought of dancing with Casey. She knows he never claimed to be a dancer, so she figures that he would only want to slow dance with her. The thought of his body so close to hers, his hand on her back, her....

"Brett you okay?" Casey asks her. "You look like you were in another world for a minute there."

If you only knew she thinks. "I'm sorry, was just thinking about how happy I am for Chloe and Cruz."

"He did find a great girl, that's for sure." Casey replies. "You know as well as I do that not everyone can handle their loved one doing the things we do only a daily basis."

For a second, Brett thought that Casey might be referring to Kyle. A slight frown forms on her face thinking of her former fiance. Kyle didn't want her to work when they were together. He wanted her to stay home and be this perfect little housewife. As much as Brett likes taking care of those she loves, she also has a career that she had worked hard to get. A career she is proud of. A career she spends working with people, no more like family, who respect and appreciate what she brinks to the table. 

Casey sees a sadness fall over Brett's face. He hopes he hasn't said anything wrong. The last thing he wants is to upset the amazing women sitting to his left. "I'm sorry if I said something...."

"No Casey, it's fine," a smile reappearing on her face. "Just got lost in thought there for a minute." Casey senses she was thinking about Kyle. As nice as a person as Kyle was, he later found out how wrong of a match he was for Brett romantically. How can you not want to do whatever you can to make Sylvie Brett happy, he thinks? He would do anything to see one of her smiles. She has the kind of smile that lights up a room and makes everyone around her feel better.

The DJ breaks him out of his trance. "And now, I would like to welcome to the dance floor, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Cruz!"

They watch as Chloe and Cruz, smiles beaming, make their way to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife. The DJ starts the song, and Brett see Cruz gazing into Chloe's eyes as they moved across the dance floor. One day she thinks. Maybe one day I will have someone who looks at me like that on our wedding day. All of the sudden, she feels Matt's arm graze her shoulder as he throws his arm on the back of her chair. She turns to see him smiling at her. She takes a second to take him in. Sitting back in his chair, his tie already undone and tuxedo jacket on the back of his chair, he is the epitome of quiet confidence. She gazes at his blond hair, muscular shoulders and strong chin. She has never seen Casey without his shirt on, but she can tell by the way his crisp, white shirt lays on his chest that he probably has a washboard stomach. He can be a model if he wants, she thinks. Why would he ever want someone like her? He's just so...so...hot, is all she can think.

She then sees him reach out his beer bottle to her, waiting for her to clink her wineglass to his bottle, which she does. "To Chloe and Cruz...and to you" he says with a wink.

It takes her a second to find her voice. "To all of us."

The first dance as husband and wife ends, to cheers and clapping from the crowd. The DJ starts another slow song and asks any and all attendees to join them on the dance floor.

This is his chance, and Matt knows it. Pushing any uncertainty out of his mind, he stands up and offers Brett his hand. "Want to keep your promise?" he asks.

"Of course" Brett replies, taking his hand and letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. When they get there, Casey takes her right hand in his left, pulls her slightly closer, and places his right hand on the small of her back. She then drapes her left hand around his back and onto his shoulder. Brett has hugged Casey, and been hugged by him, on numerous occasions. But something feels more intimate about dancing with him. She glances around the room, hoping to evade his glance while she tries to steady her breath. She looks and see Chief and Donna, Mouch and Trudy, Hermann and Cindy, all on the dance floor and happily in love. She looks in the other direction and witnesses Severide and Kidd share a quick kiss as he twirls her around. She then looks over at Chloe and Cruz. They are so happy and in love. Chloe looks beautiful in her white wedding dress.

"What are thinking about?" Casey says to her, wondering why her eyes are everywhere but on his.

"Look at Chloe", she says with a hint of sadness. "She is the most beautiful woman in the room on the happiest day of her life."

Casey waits, knowing there is more to come. 

Brett exhales, still looking at Cruz and Chloe. "I just hope that one day I am the most beautiful woman in a room."

Casey lets go of her hand and gently takes her face in his hand, tilting her gaze until it meets his. "Sylvie, you already are."

Brett does not break Casey's gaze this time. They move silently for a few moments, just staring into each others eyes. Matt takes her hand again, pulling her closer to him. She lets her head come to rest on Casey's chest. Brett can feel the warmth of Casey's hand in hers, as he brings it closer to his heart. She also feels his other hand shift from her lower back, slowly up to the middle of her back, his thumb touching her bare skin where her dress ends. His touch feels electric. His thumb slowly dances back and forth across her back. She feels a single tear of happiness form in her eye. Casey thinks I am the most beautiful women in this room, she says to herself. She is not sure what emotion she is feeling right now, or if she is feeling too many at once. She forces those thoughts away for the moment, and falls deeper into Casey's embrace. 

Casey isn't sure where the words he spoke came from, but he knows they probably came somewhere from within his heart. The feeling of Sylvie this close to him, moving and swaying slowly to the music, just feels right. A part of him prays that this song never ends, so they could just stay this way. He closes his eyes, leans gently down, and places his lips to the top of her head in a short kiss. He wants her to know, without words, that this is what he wants. That she is what he wants. Brett tilts her head and looks up at him, a smile on her face. Her mind thinks back to what Kidd said about just kissing Casey, and her cheeks start to blush. Right now, she wants nothing more than to feel his lips on hers. Casey is feeling the same emotions, as the temptation to lean down and kiss her almost overwhelms him. Something holds him back though. "Your first kiss with Sylvie Brett is not going to be in public, with all of 51 watching" Casey says to himself. "She deserves better than this. She needs you to be a perfect gentleman." He returns her smile, and pulls her close to his body again. In his mind, the question of does he want a relationship with Sylvie Brett has been answered.

The last chords of the slow song began to fade, as the DJ transitions into a more upbeat song. Matt leans back again and looks down at the amazing creature that he is holding. Sylvie leans back, putting her gaze on Matt's face. A smile forms on both of their lips. Casey is trying to think of the right words to say to her. Brett is hoping, praying really, that this dance is the key that unlocks more possibilities. As the beat picks up, Casey suddenly feels Brett pulled from his arms. His face can't hide his disappointment, until he notices that Foster has pulled Brett further onto the dance floor, now dancing to the upbeat number. Sylvie glances back at Matt, her eyebrows raised as she slightly lifts her shoulders as if to say, "oh well". Matt gives her a wink and starts to walk off the dance floor, praying that his breathing returns to normal before someone tries to talk to him.

Outside he thinks to himself. I need to go outside and consider what just happened. As he heads towards the door, Kidd passes by and pats his chest. 

"Way to go Captain, I knew you had it in you."

Casey shakes his head as he continues to move through the throng of people toward the exit. When he opens the door, the cold wind that has rolled in replaces the warmth of Sylvie when they were dancing. Shoot, he thinks to himself, I should have brought my overcoat in after all. He starts blowing warm air into both of his hands, thinking about Brett. It feels like everything that has happened over the last few months, the talks, the times spent at Molly's learning more about each other, have all been leading to something more. Maybe tonight was the start of that, he thinks. He feels a vibration in his back pocket, and pulls out his cell phone. Christie, his sister. Of course she would call now, of all times, while is thinking about Sylvie. She has been pushing him to start dating again. Maybe this "mother's intuition" she keeps talking about was triggered by their dance. He thinks about letting it go to voicemail, but she rarely calls him, so he decides to answer. 

"Hey Christie, what's up?"

"Matt, I am sorry having to call you. Are you on shift right now?

"No, got off earlier today. Just at a reception right now, why?

"Well, right now I have a downstairs full of water. A pipe is broken or something, but I can't find where. I shut off the water at the street, but I need your help."

Casey knows he doesn't want to leave. He wants to see where things with Sylvie can go tonight. But he also knows his sister wouldn't call him unless it was an absolute emergency. 

"I will head your way now, Christie. Will get over to your place as fast as I can."

"Thank you Matt, I really appreciate it."

Casey hangs up. He thinks about heading back inside to let Sylvie know what is going on, but with the crowd in there who knows how long it will take to get to her. He shoots off a quick text to Severide. "Hey, water pipe broke at my sister's house. Heading over there now. Grab my tuxedo jacket will you?"

He starts to walk to his truck and thinks about texting Sylvie. No, don't be that guy he says to himself. Call her. He quickly dials her number as he gets to his truck and starts it. He knows her phone probably isn't on her, and his hunch is confirmed when he hears her sweet voice. "You have reached Sylvie. Please leave me a message and I will call you back. Bye!". Matt waits for the obligatory announcement, while thinking of what he wants to say. Beep.

"Hey Brett, it's Casey. I am so sorry about tonight, but I have to leave. A water pipe broke at my sister's house and I am headed over that way now to help her. I wish I had gotten more than just the one dance with you tonight. Call me tomorrow when you get a chance okay?"

As he pulls his truck out onto the main street, he thinks about how Sylvie felt in his arms. Her warmth, her smile, how amazing she looked. "Why tonight does a pipe have to burst ?" he says at he looks through his windshield up to the heavens, "Why tonight?".


	2. What happens now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett and Casey were able to share only one dance at the wedding, but to say that dance was special would be selling it short. Could that single dance be the start of something more? Or would the fears they both have leave them still wanting more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback to my first chapter of fan fiction. I appreciate the support. This chapter picks up the day after Cruz and Chloe's wedding. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

"Uuuuggghhhh" Brett moans as she feels her eyes slowly open from sleep. She has an insane hangover. The kind of hangover that makes her feel like she has a pinball ricocheting around her brain. She glances over at the clock on her bedside table. 10:03 in the morning...she slept in really late this morning. Not that she had anything to do, but ever since she was a young girl, she has always been an early riser.

She takes both of her hands and pushes the hair back out of her face. "What all happened last night?" she thinks. She kicks the yellow sheets off her and throws her legs over the side of the bed so she can sit up. Instantly a wave of nausea hits her. She sits there, taking a deep breath, hoping it will pass. Thankfully it does, and she picks up her iPhone off her nightstand. The phone quickly registers her face, though she can't figure out how, knowing how rough she knows she must look. The brightness of the screen staring at her makes her shut her eyes again. "I need some water and Alleve" she says to herself. She stands up, praying that another wave of nausea doesn't hit her. She then shuffles to her bathroom, using the wall for support. After finding and taking some medicine, she quickly decides to hop in the shower. "Maybe that will help be sober up" she thinks.

As she is in the shower, the warm water falling over her, pieces of the night before start to come back to her. She can remember the actual wedding ceremony. She then remembers an amazing dance with Casey. She feels her pulse quicken, thinking how close they were and how his body felt against hers. Unfortunately, she remembers being pulled out of his arms by Foster to the middle of the dance floor. Her, Foster, and Kidd danced and sang to the music for what must have been an hour, she thinks. She also thinks back to constantly looking for Casey but not seeing him. Then, she was pulled into an endless number of slow dances. First was Chief, then Hermann, Ritter, and she thinks she and and Mouch may have danced together? After that, it started to go downhill. Severide had seen her at the bar, and told her Casey had to go help his sister with an emergency. Her disappointment was obvious, and Severide had just given her a pat of the back, chuckling as he walked away. Then Foster had decided the girls needed to do shots. After the 4th shot, she had lost count, but Foster and Kidd kept giving her more. She had no idea how Foster could drink that much. She wonders how she does it...honestly, she could probably drink most of 51 under the table. Heck, she could probably drink half the US Navy under the table come to think of it. Everything is a bit of blur after that, but she remembers Severide and Kidd driving her back to her apartment so she didn't have to wait on an Uber. Oh no she thinks in a panic. That means my car is still at the church?

Brett gets out of the shower, and dries off with her large, soft, fluffy towel that makes her feel like a kid again. She had one just like it when she was a little girl. Wrapping the towel around, she decides to leave her hair wet and check her phone. She thinks she has sobered enough now to be able to see straight and handle the glare. She sits back on the bed and opens her phone. She only has 9 different text messages. She scrolls through them quickly looking for one name in particular, but it isn't there. "Why hasn't Casey texted me?" she wonders. She starts to read some of them. Kidd wants to see how she is doing this morning, with a trail of laughing emojis behind it. Foster texted her early this morning, saying she has spin classes all morning, and then a date this afternoon. "How in the world can she even function. let alone do a spin class?" Brett says out loud to herself, somewhat amazed. Just as she gets ready to see what Chloe had texted her, she gets a call. A thrill runs through her thinking it might be Casey, but instead sees it is Scott. Nervousness takes over her, as she and Scott had a heartfelt conversation yesterday about her baby sister. She had pleaded with Scott to keep her sister, as that little girl needs a Father now more than ever, especially since her mother is no longer with them. Scott had tried to get Brett to take the little girl, even threatening to put her sister up for adoption if she didn't. Brett wonders what this call means, and hits the answer button.

"Scott, how are you?" she asks.

"Hey Sylvie, I am doing good. I wanted to talk to you about yesterday"

Sylvie's heart sinks "Sure. Did you think about what we talked about?"

"I did. I want to thank you for saying the things you did Sylvie. It really helped me to come to grips with the decision I have made."

Sylvie says a quick prayer before speaking. She wants Scott to keep her sister. Sylvie couldn't imagine taking care of baby. Or could she? More than anything, though, she does not want her sister put up for adoption. Her biological mother had done that to her, and while she was one of the lucky ones who found a wonderful family to adopt her, it wasn't until she had been in foster care for several years. She had promised herself when Scott first said the word adoption that she would not let her sister go through what she did, regardless of what she had to do.

"What decision is that Scott?"

"A few really. First, I decided to name the baby Amelia, after your Mom. Amelia was Julie's middle name."

"Amelia...that's a beautiful name Scott". It really is she thinks. She has a sister named Amelia. Brett decides she can really get used to having a baby sister.

"And the other decision is that I have decided to keep her."

A smile breaks out on Brett's face. "Oh Scott, that is wonderful. I know Amelia needs a loving home, and I am sure you can give that to her." She feels her heart swell, knowing that she will have a sister who is with her father and is loved.

"Thanks. That leads me to this," he says, knowing the next part wont' be easy. "I have decided to move back to Rockford. "

"Oh." Brett can't think of what to say. Rockford is a couple of hours away. Her mind struggles to comprehend her sister not being close to her.

"Sylvie, I want you to be part of Amelia's life. You can see her as much as you want. It's just that all of my family is in Rockford, and I know I am going to need help taking care of this little one. It's also too expensive for me to try to live in Chicago on just my salary, and I was able to get my old job back home. I hope you understand."

Brett feels her throat tighten slightly. "I understand Scott. I will try to come see her as often as I can okay?"

"Anytime you want Sylvie. And thank you for everything you have done. I have to run. We are leaving the hospital today and I have movers coming tomorrow to pack us up. Will talk soon. Bye."

Brett lays back down on the bed, her head on the pillows, and lets the tears come.

___________________________________________________________________________

Brett wakes up again, feeling her tear soaked pillow on her face. She didn't realize she had even fallen back asleep until she looks at the clock and sees it is almost 11am. She is happy that Amelia will have a father and a home. She is sad, though, because she wanted to be part of her life as she grew up. Sure, she thinks, she can still do that. But it will be a lot harder living 2 hours away instead of living in the same town. A sort of melancholy envelops her. First Casey has to leave last night, and now her sister is moving. Not exactly the way she wanted to start a Saturday morning. She turns her phone over. Still no text from Casey. She then sees the little missed call and voicemail icon at the top of the screen. She uses her forefinger to pull down on the screen, and sees that Casey called her last night. Judging by the time, it was while the reception was still going on. Her phone was in her purse at the table last night, so she never even knew she had a missed call. She taps the voicemail icon and listens while the computer lady does her thing. Finally, she hears his voice.

"Hey Brett, it's Casey. I am so sorry about tonight, but I have to leave. A water pipe broke at my sister's house and I am headed over that way now to help her. I wish I had gotten more than just one dance with you tonight. Call me tomorrow when you get a chance okay."

Immediately she feels her mood brighten. Rarely did she and Casey talk when they weren't on shift. Of course they did at Molly's, and they shared a few texts here and there off shift. But rarely did they talk on the phone. She takes a deep breath and punches the call icon by his name.

Casey had gotten an early start this morning, surprising since he didn't get back from Christie's house until almost 1am. He had been able to locate her broken water line and was able to repair it. He then helped his niece and sister mop up the water, ring out rugs and throws, and run fans in the downstairs to dry things out. As soon as he had got back to Severide's, he immediately feel into bed, only stopping to take his damp clothes off before getting under the covers and setting an alarm for 7am. He somehow was able to get up on time, shower, and grab a coffee and protein bar before heading out to the bath remodel he had scheduled for today.

He had been working diligently for the last several hours, trying to keep his mind off of Brett. The dance they shared...he didn't know the words to express how it made him feel. He still kicks himself for leaving, even though Christie did need his help. He is doing his best not to pick up his phone every minute or two to see if she has texted him. He still has a way to go on this job, and needs to finish it today so he can start the living room remodel for the Fishers on Tuesday. He can't help himself, and flips his phone over one more time. Still nothing. He sits the phone back down on the vanity and turns back to grouting. As soon as he bends down, he hears his ringtone. He stands up quickly to reach out for it, so quickly he about knocks over a stack of tile sitting on the toilet. He grabs the phone out of breath.

"Brett, good morning." he says putting his hand on the wall to keep himself from falling into it.

"Casey, are you okay?" Brett asks.

"Yeah sorry. I am tiling a shower today and about tripped over something. How are you doing?"

Brett pauses, trying to think of the right words. Casey hears the silence, and knows something is up.

"Brett, you okay? What's wrong?" inquires Casey.

Brett chuckles to herself. How can he tell something is wrong through the phone? She can understand him reading it on her face at 51, but now he can by her voice?"

"I'm okay," she replies. "Scott called this morning and said he is keeping the baby. He named her Amelia."

"Brett that is great news! I know you were really worried about that. Amelia is a beautiful name." Casey thinks that at least once, something good has finally happened for Brett.

"But, he also told me he is moving back to Rockford with her to be close to his family." The sadness in her voice is unmistakable.

Oh no, Casey thinks. Why would something work out for Brett? The run of bad luck she was on recently would have most people throwing up their hands and quitting. But not Brett.

"Brett, I am so sorry. I know how excited you were to have a little sister in town that you could spend time with."

"It's okay" she lies. "At least Scott didn't put her up for adoption." That part is true she thinks.

Casey doesn't know what to say. How does she keep bouncing back, with a smile on her face nonetheless? Maybe he can do something to cheer her up he thinks.

"What are you doing today?" he asks, a plan forming in his mind.

"No plans today" she replies. "I need to clean up my apartment since both Cruz and Foster are gone. Other than that, looks like delivery and HGTV."

"I have about an hour or so left on this job. Why don't you let me take you to lunch? Say 1pm at Caprioti's Sandwich Shop?" Casey asks. His prays she says yes.

Brett is taken back by the offer. She and Casey NEVER go out to eat. Like EVER. A part of her wants to just rest today, veg out on the couch and recover from last night. Her heart screams for her to take him up on his offer.

"Okay she says" tentatively. "Why don't I meet you there?"

"Great!" he says, a smile forming on his lips. "I will see you in a little while. I want to talk to you about something. Bye."

Before Brett can speak, he is gone. He wants to talk to her about something? What could he want to talk to her about? A part of her fears he is going to apologize for their dance last night. Explain to her that he really just wants to be friends and nothing more. She grabs her pillow, puts it against her face, and let's out a scream. Why, she thinks. Why did she say yes to lunch?

Just then another thought crosses her mind...I don't have my car.

Casey can honestly say he has never finished a tile job so fast in his life. Of course, truth be told, he might not have ever been as motivated as he is right now. The fact the Brett is having a bad day, coupled with what happened last night, left him thinking the entire time he was mopping his sister's floors last night. He knows he has to do something. To set this right again. And at lunch today he will. Come hell or high water he was going to set it right. On second thought, he thinks, no more water.

_________________________________________

Casey arrives at the restaurant early, as he always tries to be. He has about 10 minutes to spare, so he sits in his truck and tries to clean up. He wishes he would have had time to run back to the loft and take a shower, but he honestly didn't think about it in his excitement to see her. She is just going to have to settle for his "contractor" look. Across the street, he sees an Uber pull up to the front of the restaurant, and Brett gets out. Why is she taking an Uber he wonders? Casey hops out of his truck and starts to make his way across the street. The chill from last night has left, replaced with a nice Chicago spring day. Casey has on his work boots, a pair of old black jeans with paint on them, and a blue flannel shirt. "Why didn't I say 1:30 so I could have had a shower?" he wonders, as he picks another piece of grout out of his hair. Brett turns and sees him crossing the street. Casey can't find the exact word in his head, but vision is the best he can come up with. Brett has on a pair of white tennis shoes, white jeans, and pink sweater. Even though he knows she has had a rough morning with the news from Scott, she looks amazing.

Brett sees Casey walking towards her. She tries to think what he looks like, and then figures it out. He looks like he is walking out of one of her HGTV shows. She chuckles slightly and glances back at the sandwich shop. She figured out a while back that staring at Casey only causes her to get lost in her dreams of him, and she doesn't want to do that today. Especially if she fears what he has to tell her is not what she wants to hear.

"Hey you" he says.

"Hey to you too" she replies, as she turns to face him..

Casey walks behind her, pulling open the door for her to enter. "Ever the gentleman" she thinks. Luckily, most of the lunch rush is gone, and there are only a couple of the 10-15 tables in the restaurant occupied.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, just wanting to see if anything had changed since earlier.

"I'm okay. I'm happy my sister will have a father, but it's pretty tough knowing I won't see her as much as I want to."

Casey puts his hand on the small of her back, steering her towards the ordering area. Brett feels a shock of electricity in his touch. "Keep it together girl" she tells herself.

"What are you two in the mood for?" the cashier asks.

They both give me him their orders, and just as Brett starts to reach for her purse, Casey swipes his credit card through the machine. Of course he did she thinks.

"You really didn't have to pay for mine" she says, looking up into his eyes. He holds her gaze for a few seconds before a smile forms on his face.

"I know Brett. I wanted to."

"Well thank you Casey. I really appreciate it."

"Why don't you go find us a table or a booth" he asks. "If you tell me what you want to drink, I will get it for you," as he holds the two cups the cashier gave him.

"Can you just get me some water please?" She then looks across the dining room, settling for an open booth that looks out toward a side street. Brett scoots into the seat and glances back at Casey, slowly filling both cups with water. "I wonder who taught him to be a gentleman" she ponders. Casey never speaks much about his childhood, but the little she does know couldn't have been easy for him. His mom in prison and his dad dead. How did her turn out as nice and humble as he is with that in his past?

Casey walks over to her, cups full, and slides in the booth opposite of her. He hands her water to her, and also some napkins and a straw for her She knows this place will bring their order to the table for them, but once again, Casey is thinking of everything he can in advance. Probably what makes him such a good captain she guesses.

"So how was the rest of the reception?" Casey asks her.

'It was great, until Foster started forcing me to do shots"

Casey winces. Great? He had hoped she would say something about him not being there. Of course, if Foster started forcing her to do shots, she may not even remember them dancing in the first place.

"Sorry to hear that" Casey replies. "I know that when Foster decides to drink, she really drinks."

"You can say that again. It was so bad at the end of the reception that Severide and Kidd had to give me a ride home. Trust me, I felt all those drinks this morning."

Casey feels a pang of jealousy. It should have been him taking her home, not Stella and Kelly. He also should have had more than just one dance with her.

"Is that why you took an Uber here?" Casey asks, trying to push thoughts of jealousy out of his mind.

"Yeah, it wasn't until we got off the phone this morning that I remembered I didn't have my car."

Casey looks at her, a puzzled expression on his face. "You know you could have called me and I would have come and picked you up right?"

Brett doesn't want to admit the truth to him. She had thought about asking him. However, the thought of them driving back to her house in silence after he tells her he just wants to be friends would simply be more than she could handle.

"It's fine. I appreciate the thought." she says, playing with the wrapper on her straw. "It was easier than inconveniencing you. And anyway, I will have to get one to go pick up my car after we finish eating."

Casey has never been a fan of ride shares...or even taxis for that matter. Maybe it was because he wants to be in control. But the thought of Brett taking two in one day, with some of the stories he had read about what has happened to women who take them, was too much for him to stand.

"Don't worry. I will take you to pick your car up after we eat" he says, with an expression on his face that screams "please".

Brett looks up from her straw and sees the earnestness of his offer. "Crap", she thinks. "Why does he have to look at me like that. I can't turn him down now can I?"

She finally gives in. "Thanks. That would be a big help." Unless you break my heart today, she says to herself, and then there is no way I am getting in anything except an Uber.

The Cashier brings their food, and places it on the table in front of them. "Thank goodness" she thinks. "Now I have something to distract me." Also, she hasn't realized just how hungry she is until she has food in front of her.

Casey looks at her dive into her food and chuckles. Brett glances up at him, with that silly grin still on his face.

"Hey Mister, I'm hungry! I haven't had anything to eat since a piece of wedding cake at like 10:30 last night".

Casey throws up his hands as if to say he surrenders. As she continues to eat her sandwich, Casey steals a moment to take her in. She is just as beautiful as she was last night, he thinks. A different kind of beautiful than her dressed up like she was. A more...a more relaxed beauty. The type that comes from within. He takes a really deep breath to try to steel the nerves he feels creeping in. "Now or never" he thinks to himself.

"Brett, I want to apologize about last night."

She feels her heart drop through her stomach. Her it is she thinks. He is going to let me down. That's probably why he chose a public place. He knows I will try my best not to cry here. She feels her hands start to tremble. She doesn't know if she has the strength to listen to this. She takes a shallow breath, and tries her best to look him in the eyes. "Oh well" she thinks to herself, "what is one more broken heart to go along with the string of them I have had this year?"

"I'm so sorry that I had to leave last night Brett, but..."

Here it comes her brain screams to her. Nothing good ever comes after a but.

"I had to help my sister out. Trust me when I tell you this, I would have much rather been dancing with you than moping my sister's floors." He hopes she senses his honesty.

Leave it to Casey to find a way to let her down gently she thinks. Of course he will be a gentleman when he is breaking my heart. He can't keep from being a gentleman at all times can he?

"The dance we shared was.." he pauses as he searches for the right words, without realizing Brett is trembling more and more. "Incredible. I didn't want to let you go when the music stopped, but then Foster pulled you away from me." Casey swears he can hear his heart racing.

Okay, she admits. Not exactly where she thought he was going with this. She inhales, waiting for the next but...

"Sylvie" he says, his eyes not leaving hers. "I feel like we have gotten closer and closer over these last few months. I know you have been going through a lot of stuff lately, and I don't want to add any more on your plate.." Don't chicken out he says to himself...Don't chicken out.

Brett feels tears begin to form in her eyes. How is she going to survive him telling her he just wants to be friends?

"Sylvie you have become my best friend. The one I turn to when I need someone to talk to. The one I want to see when you are not there. When you are not near me, it feels like...like...something is missing." Casey feels a warmth come over him and feels his face blush.

A single tear streaks down Brett's face. She is afraid she is going to break down here in front of him. She tries to take another breath. I will not let Casey see how bad he hurts me she resolves to herself.

"But..."

Damn that word she thinks to herself.

"Sylvie, I don't want to be just your friend anymore. I want more. And I hope you feel the same. So I am asking you if you will have dinner with me Tuesday night?" Casey exhales and says a silent prayer that her answer is yes. It isn't like him to put himself out there like this, but Sylvie is worth it. That's a lie, he thinks to himself. She is worth more than that, she is worth everything.

Brett's not sure she just heard him right. He was saying something about her being his best friend, but she lost him after the last but.

"I'm sorry" she says, a look of confusion on her face. "What did you just say?"

Casey can swear he feels his heartbeat stop. Literally stop. He just bared his soul for her, telling her how he felt about her, and even asking her to dinner. Obviously she doesn't feel the same as I does he thinks. Suddenly, the deepest part of his heart whispers to him. "You have come this far, don't back down now." Casey looks down at the table, not being able the handle the tears that are running down her cheeks. He balls his hands into fists, tries to take another breath, and looks into her eyes once more.

"Sylvie, I am asking you to go out on a date with me" he says, with all the resolve he can muster.

Brett can't stop the smile that starts to radiate from her her face, even if she tries. Her eyes, which had been distraught a second ago, begin to twinkle again. She feels her heart start to beat faster. She searches for her voice, and prays it doesn't fail her.

"Matthew Casey, I would love to go on a date with you."


	3. Could this be the start of something?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt have their first date planned. Everything seems to be going in the right direction for once. However, will some bad news mess up things before they get started?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the feedback from Chapters 1 and 2. Would appreciate everyone's input on something. I am trying to decide between doing more, shorter chapters versus the current REALLY long ones I am doing. Any thoughts?

It's Sunday night, and Brett had just finished making herself something for dinner. She plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV, hoping Chip and Joanna are on HGTV right now. Fixer Upper was her favorite show of all time on the home improvement network. Even though they had ended their series, she could watch each rerun 50 times and still not tire of how good they made her feel. She only hoped that one day she would have a house of her own, so that she can put all of what she has learned to use.

She thought back to yesterday at lunch when Casey asked her out. She hadn't been able to stop smiling since. After she got over the shock of him actually asking her, she accepted of course. They then spent about an hour in the sandwich shop, talking and laughing in a relaxed manner. She told him stories about Fowlerton, and he told her stories about calls Firehouse 51 had responded to before she joined them.

Afterwards, he had dropped her off at the church to pick up her car. On the ride from the restaurant to the church, she wondered if he might kiss her when they got to her car. Even though they had not gone out on their "official" first date, lunch with him had sure felt like one. However, he hadn't done that. He simply dropped her, waited for her to get in her car and start the engine. He then rolled down his window. Seeing this, she had rolled down hers. She remembered their conversation...

"I'm really looking forward to Tuesday night" he said to her, his eyes looking across the cars into hers.

"Me too" she replied. She wanted to scream she was so excited, but she held it in.

"I have got to work on bids for a lot of projects tomorrow, but will text you sometime Sunday and confirm everything okay?"

She wanted to tell him that she could text him anytime he wanted...he didn't need permission. Instead she just responded, "I will look forward to getting your text".

Now, well over 24 hours later, she hadn't heard from him at all. A pang of doubt hit her, wondering if he might have changed his mind about their date. After all, they worked together every shift. Even though he wasn't technically her boss, he still sometimes had to give directions to Ambo when they were onsite responding to a call. She shook her head back and forth, trying to shake the thoughts from her head. "Breathe" she thought, "It's only 7pm."

Across town, Casey had indeed been working on bids. All....day....long. He hadn't realized just how far behind he was until he sat down at 9:30am to get started. He had been working non-stop since then in his bedroom, only stopping to make a sandwich and bring it back to his room. Paper, blue prints, and work orders for potential projects were strewn all across his bed. "I miss having a real home office" he sighed to himself. He glanced at the alarm clock on his night stand. 7:30pm. He wanted to make sure he texted Brett before she went to bed. "90 minutes more" he thought. That is all the time I am putting in before texting her." If he was honest, he had wanted to text her Saturday night...and this morning...and practically every minute since their lunch. But he had tried to give her some space. His will power was quickly fading though.

Brett had just gotten out of the shower, having finished watching Property Brothers about 30 minutes ago. She normally tried to go to bed early the night before a shift, knowing that she had to be at the fire house at 7am Monday morning for a 24 hour shift. Her mind was consumed with Matt and their upcoming date. "I wonder what Kidd and Foster will think when I tell them?" she wondered. She figured Casey had already told Severide by now, since they not only were best friends but were also living together after Casey's condo burned to the ground last year. "What will he say?" she thinks.

Worry began to seep into her mind. If Foster knew about their date, so would everyone at 51. Emily just could not keep a secret. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go through a 24 hour shift, listening to everyone's thoughts and opinions about her and Casey. Just then, she heard a "ding" from her phone, letting her know she had a text.

She turned it over and saw it was from Matt. She couldn’t help but beam in happiness.

Matt: Hey, sorry I haven't been able to text you earlier, but have been working on bids all day. What are you up to?

Sylvie: Not much, just got out of the shower and am not far from heading to bed.

Matt could feel his pulse quicken. She just got of the shower? His thoughts were flooded with images of her standing in her bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her. He took a DEEP breath and replied.  
Matt: Glad I got you. Just wanted to confirm our date for Tuesday night. Is it okay if I pick you up around 6pm?

A smile crossed Brett's lips. "This is really happening" she thought.  
Sylvie: Yes, that sounds great. Where are we going to dinner?

Matt: That's a surprise.

Sylvie: That's not fair! At least tell me what I need to wear. I want to look nice.

Matt thought that Brett could look good wearing a burlap sack, but appreciated she wanted to make an effort to look nice. His smile got bigger.  
Matt: Definitely nothing as fancy as the wedding, but just dress like you would on any first date.

When Sylvie heard this, her mind wandered to her closet and what options she had. She really did want to look nice, but not for her. For him.  
Sylvie: Okay. I think I can find something. Can I ask you something?

Matt: Anything

Sylvie: Have you told Severide about our date yet?

Matt's heart sank. Was she already getting cold feet about their date?  
Matt: Actually no. He and Kidd were out late last night and I have been locked in my room working all day. Why?

Brett searched for the right words. She didn’t want him to think she was ashamed to be going out with him. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She just knew how 51 could be sometimes and didn't want that. At least not until they are both ready.  
Sylvie: I was wondering if we could just keep the date between you and me?

A frown appeared on his face. Huh? Was she embarrassed for their friends to know they were going on a date? He then noticed the three dots blinking, indicating she was still typing.

Sylvie: It's just that I know how everyone at 51 is. For the entire shift, people are going to be making jokes and comments, and I really don't want to have to be interrogated by Kidd and Foster both before and after.

Casey considered what she said. It made sense he thought. He had never been a fan of everyone at the house knowing his business. Kelly, he was fine with. But he remembered when he and Gabby were together. It seemed that everyone knew when they were fighting. He still had to ask the question that was running through his mind.

Casey: I can understand that. Are you sure you just aren't embarrassed for people to know we are going on a date?  
He held his breath, waiting on her response.

As soon as she saw his text, she understood how easy it was for him to misinterpret her request.  
Sylvie: God no Matt! I just want us to have the opportunity for this to be our thing, and not everyone else's.

Casey chuckled when he saw her response. Whew, he was glad she had said what she did.  
Matt: You have a deal then. We will keep everything between ourselves. And after shift Tuesday, I will pick you up at 6pm.

Brett was glad he understood her request, and was willing to honor it.

Sylvie: Copy that Captain!

Matt: Good night then. Sweet dreams.

Sylvie: You too!

They both laid their phones down with silly grins on their faces. Even without saying it, they both knew that their dreams tonight would be about each other.  
_______________________________________________________  
Matt arrived at 51 about 15 minutes before the 7am start of shift. He always liked to get there early and check in the with shift before them. Chief Bodden also sometimes wanted to meet with he and Severide before roll call to discuss any pressing issues. Sure enough, Chief was waiting for him at the entrance to the bullpen.

"Casey, let me see you in my office for second."

"You need Severide too Chief?

"No, just you for now."

Casey followed Bodden into his office and took a seat in one of the two padded chairs in front of the desk. The Chief sat in his leather chair behind his desk, leaned back, putting both of his hands behind his head.  
"Just wanted to check in on you. I saw you left the wedding reception early."

"Sorry, Chief", Casey replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "My sister had a water pipe break, and she called and asked if I could come over and repair if for her."

"Good, good" Bodden said. "Just wanted to make sure there wasn't something wrong. Glad you were able to get it fixed." In truth, both he and his wife Donna had seen how Casey and Brett were dancing at the reception. Bodden was worried that maybe Casey had a crush on their PIC, and Brett didn't feel the same way towards the Captain. To see the way those two had been looking at each other over the last few months, he was surprised he hadn't had a visit from the two of them yet to let him know they were in a relationship, as the CFD required.

"Anything else Chief"

"No, that's it Casey. Just wanted to check and make sure everything was okay." Bodden cared for all of his family at 51, but Casey and Severide were almost like sons to him. With Casey having grown up without a father for a period of time, Bodden wanted him to know that he was always there for him, regardless whether it was work or personal.

"Copy that Chief. See you out there" Casey said as he stood up to walk out the office. "Appreciate you checking in with me."

"Anytime Casey, anytime"

As soon as Casey had left the Chief's office and turned the corner, he saw Brett and Foster walking towards the locker rooms. Casey did his best to hide his smile. The smile he knew he had from seeing Brett.

"Morning Brett. Morning Foster."

Brett simply couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her on her face. She swore it felt like it covered her while face. "So much for trying to be subtle" she thought to herself.

"Morning Captain" they both said together, almost in unison.

Brett and Foster continued to head towards their respective lockers in the locker room. Brett could feel Casey looking at her, even though she hadn’t turned around. Foster, though, was wondering what was going on Why was Casey smiling so big at them? Why was Brett smiling right now? Foster turned and looked back at Casey, who was still watching them walk away. She threw up a quick wave, and then followed Brett into the locker room.

When they got to their lockers, Foster couldn’t hide her curiosity. "Okay Brett, what is going on?"

Brett could feel her face blush, but still looked toward Foster. "About what?".

"You and Casey. Casey never smiles that much in the morning, and you certainly don't either. And while we were walking here, I turned back and noticed he was still looking at you."

Brett took in a quick breath. "Keep it together" she told herself. "You don't want anyone to know."

"I'm not sure Foster, maybe Casey had a good weekend?"

Foster considered this answer. She really hadn’t had a chance to ask Brett about her and Casey's dance at the reception as she was gone almost all weekend. She couldn't help but notice how they had looked at each other on the dance floor though.

"Does this have something to do with the two of you dancing at the reception?"

Don't smile...don't smile, Brett thought.

"What do you mean Foster? We had a nice dance. One nice dance. The dance must have been so nice that Casey then left me alone for the rest of the night." Brett hoped that Foster hadn't heard about Casey's sister's problem.  
Hum...Foster thought. There was some truth to that. She hadn't seen Brett and Casey near each other the rest of the night at the reception.

"Okay Brett. Just wanted to check. Wanted to make sure you two hadn't had some hot date that I didn't know about."

Brett turned to walk towards roll call. If you only knew, Foster. If you only knew, she thought.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
It was surprising how quickly a 24 hour shift can fly by if you have something to be excited about Casey thought. They were already 14 hours into their shift, and truck had only been called out on 4 calls, all of which were minor auto accidents. Ambulance 61 was always busier than truck or squad, but even Brett and Foster had been relatively slow so far throughout the shift. Any call Ambo did have, though, he felt the desire to catch Brett's eye before she left. He really wanted to physically tell her to be safe every time, but knew he couldn't. A quick glance was the best he could hope for. He had spent most of shift so far in his quarters, working on the endless amount of paperwork that he always seemed to have. He had tried to spend the least amount of time in the same room as Brett all shift. He was afraid that if he got in the same room as her, that he would not be able to contain the joy on his face, giving up their secret. He hoped Brett understood why he had been avoiding her. He picked up his phone and sent her a quick text.

Matt: Hey, don't want you to think I am avoiding you. I just know that every time when I see you I smile. Don't want anyone to figure out our little "secret".

Sylvie heard her phone ding while she was reading a magazine in the bullpen. She had just been thinking about heading to her bunk to try to get some sleep, since for some reason she and Foster had been slow today. She covertly pulled out her phone and read the text from Matt. She tried her best not to smile, but failed miserably. She quickly typed him a reply.

Sylvie: Completely understand. I about gave it away with Foster this morning. Get some sleep and I will see you tomorrow morning.

Brett scanned the room, hoping no one noticed her texting at 11pm at night. Her gaze found Foster, who was looking directly at her with a frown on her face. She wondered what was wrong with her partner. Something had been off with her all shift it seemed. She had been fine this morning, but she had gotten a phone call mid-day, and it was like a light switch went off, changing her demeanor. She saw Foster stand up and come towards her, still wearing her frown.

"Hey Brett, can I talk to you for a second?” Foster asked.

"Sure Foster, what's up?" Brett hoped it wasn’t more questions about Casey.

"Let's go outside to the ambo and talk."

Brett knew this wasn’t good news. Foster never asked her to talk at the ambo unless there was a problem. They walked out together towards their vehicle, with Brett finding a seat on the back bumper step, while Foster stood.  
"I haven't done anything wrong, have I Emily?"

“No, it's nothing like that. I just need to tell you something."

Brett could see the struggle Foster was going through, so she remained quiet until Foster spoke.

"That phone call I got today. I have been trying to figure out how to tell you Brett."

A look of concern fell across Sylvie's face. "What is it Foster? You can just tell me."

Foster shifted her weight, looking down at her feet. "The call I got today was from Medical School, saying I had gotten back in."

Brett took in a deep breath. Foster hadn't been her partner that long. Her roommate even less. Regardless, they had become good friends. However, even in that short period of time Emily had never mentioned to her once anything about trying to go back to school.

Foster could see the empty look on Brett's face. "Brett, this was something I have been thinking about for a while. I just didn't want to tell anyone in case it didn't happen." Emily took a breath, Brett still not looking at her. "I know this news couldn't come at a worse time for you. After Kyle, then Julie and the baby and now Cruz getting married. I know you have a lot on your plate right now. But I have decided that, just like Joe, I will continue to pay rent on the apartment until the lease in up in two months since I will have to live on campus."

The silence was deafening. Foster looked at Brett, imploring her to say something.

Brett's mind raced. The apartment. She hadn't even thought about that. First Cruz got married and announced that he was going to move in with Chloe as soon as they get back from their honeymoon. Now Foster is going to move out? There was no way she could afford to keep the apartment without being able to split the rent, utilities and food 3 ways. Could she even find 2 decent roommates in two months? If she couldn’t, where was she going to live? Brett took a deep breath, looked at Foster, and tried to be a good friend....as hard as that was right now.

"Brett, say something please."

"Emily, this came a little out of left field so to say I am shocked would be an understatement. I am happy for you, though. In the back of my mind, I think I knew med school was always something you wanted to go back to. I'm not going to be mad at you for following you dreams."

Foster let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Sylvie. I really appreciate you understanding"

Sylvie tried her best to put a smile on her face. "And don't worry about the apartment. I will figure something out, I always do."

"Thanks Brett" Foster said, hugging Brett as she realized how well Brett was taking the news. "You're the best!"

Yeah, Brett thought to herself...why am I the one always having to be the best?

Brett sat on the back of her vehicle for a few minutes after Foster had gone back inside. She WAS happy for Emily. "But why am I always the one who gets left to figure out what do to next, while everyone else is happy" she wondered. When does she get to be the happy one? She was still trying to adjust to the news that Scott was taking her baby sister to live in Rockford with him. Now this. In her heart, Brett knew she wanted to turn to Casey. They had both done so well this shift, though, in keeping their upcoming date a secret, she didn’t want to ruin it now. She decided to go to her bunk and try to get some sleep. She purposefully walked the opposite direction of Casey's quarters. When she got to her bunk and sat, she could see Casey's light still on, him hunched over his desk working on paperwork.

"No Brett" she said to herself. "Don't go talk to him." As much as she wanted to, she laid down in her bunk and faced away from Casey's office. She prayed her mind will stop worrying about her living situation, her ambo partner, Scott and Amelia, and everything else so she can get some sleep. However, she knew that any sleep she did get wouldn’t be restful, if she even got any at all.

Casey glanced out of his office again, trying to catch a glimpse of Brett. He thought he saw her come into the bunk room, but he couldn’t see her in the darkened room. He got up from his desk, opened the door to his quarters, eyes searching out her bunk. He could see her laying there, with her back to him. Part of him wanted to go to her bunk and tell her goodnight, but he resisted the urge and closed the door. He turned out his desk light and laid down on his cot. Less than 24 hours until their date, he thought. He can't remember the last time he had looked forward to something so much.  
___________________________________________  
Casey's alarm went off at 6:30am. For once, 51 had not had any of their units called out overnight. He was able to get a good night's sleep, and woke up with a plan. He wanted to meet with the incoming Captain to discuss some things, then planned to leave and run through a drive thru and get some breakfast. The Fisher's remodel started today, and he wanted to get there ASASP. He had given himself a hard deadline to leave by 3:30pm so he could head home and get ready without being rushed. Casey sat up on his cot, wiped the sleep out of his eyes, and got started with his day.

About 20 feet away, Brett was awakened by Foster getting out of bed. She looked at her alarm clock and groaned. She hardly got any sleep last night, tossing and turning thinking about what she was going to do about her apartment, Scott and Amelia, and even about her upcoming date with Casey. She briefly considered asking Casey to reschedule their upcoming date...she didn’t want to be on her first date with him while her mind is preoccupied with other things. "No", she told herself, "I waited long enough to go on a date with Casey and I am not going to mess that up". Brett slowly sat up in her bed, and glanced over towards Casey's room. She saw him already up, loading up his bag, and acting like he is ready to head home. "At least someone got some sleep last night" she thought to herself.

Promptly at 7am, everyone at 51 started to head towards the cars. Casey had gotten caught up with the incoming Captain, so he was running a few minutes behind. As he walked out of the building, he saw a few stragglers like himself. One of whom was Brett.

Casey began to jog to catch up with her. "Brett, good morning."

Brett turned to see Casey coming towards her. She forced a smile on her face. "Morning Casey."

Casey immediately sensed something is wrong. Brett always has the best smile...unless she was sad. Right about now, it looked like the latter.

"Everything okay?" Casey asked, the concern in his voice evident.

Brett looked into Casey's eyes. She was already feeling better, just by being in his presence. "Yeah I will be okay" she replied. "I will tell you...", Brett looked around to make sure no one is within ear shot of them, "tonight on our date." 

Casey noticed her smile becoming more natural at the mention of their date. He felt a smile begin to form on his lips. "Good. Will see you at 6 tonight" he said with a wink. "Gotta go. Need to get to a remodel job."

Brett's heart fluttered at his wink. She could feel herself start to feel better, as she watched him walk towards his truck. All of the sudden, the reality of everything hit her and she thought, "I really am going on a date with Casey tonight." She couldn’t help from blushing, shaking her head in amazement. "Now" she thought to herself, "I just need to go home and get some sleep so I can be ready for it."

_________________________________________________________

Brett looked at her face in the mirror. She was trying to decide on her makeup for tonight. Normally during shifts, she doesn't wear much makeup at all. When she goes to Molly's though, she would wear a bit more. She finally decided to go somewhere in between. After her makeup was applied and she was dressed, she walked out into the den to wait for Casey. Just 20 more minutes now. All of the sudden, the door opened and Foster walked in. "What is she doing here?" Brett wondered. "She was supposed to have a spin class tonight." Brett knew instantly that she was in trouble, as she was way more dressed up than normal. Foster took in Brett and her outfit.

"Oh la la Brett. Got a hot date tonight?"

Brett felt her hands start to sweat. She didn’t know what to say. She felt like she had been caught red handed trying to get away with something. "Think Brett think" she implored herself. Suddenly, she knew there was only one solution....lie.

"I do as a matter of fact." Brett replied, trying to calm her nerves.

"With who?" Foster inquired. Brett hadn't said anything about going out on a date to her.

Brett tried to remember the last person who asked her out before Casey. A thought clicked in her brain, and she decided to go with. "That realtor that asked me out a few weeks ago. I finally decided to take him up on his offer." Brett prayed Emily wouldn't ask her any more questions than that.

"Really!" Foster exclaimed. "What changed? I thought you and Casey might finally be doing something after the way you two were dancing at the reception."

Brett took in a deep breath. What's one more lie to add to the pile? "Casey and I are just good friends. The dance was just him worried about me after the whole Scott and Amelia thing."

Foster looked at Brett with a look of exasperation. "Girl, if someone danced with me the way you did with Casey, there's not a chance in hell I would be going on a date with anyone else." Foster paused for a second, hoping her message was getting through. "The two of you need to just go out on a date and find out if there is a flame to match all of those sparks you two are throwing off."

Brett smiled to herself, hoping not to tip off Emily.

As soon as Foster headed into her bedroom, Brett grabbed her phone and texted Casey. 

Brett: Foster just got back to the apartment. DO NOT come up here. I will meet you in the parking lot by my car.

Casey was about 10 minutes away Brett's place, when he heard the notification for an incoming text. He tried his best not to read texts while driving, as he unfortunately saw the terrible wrecks they caused daily. Luckily, he saw a red light ahead. As soon as he had come to a stop, he pulled out his phone and read Brett's message. The thought of not picking her up at her door feels foreign to him, but he knew Brett wanted to keep things quiet for now, so he agreed.

Casey: Copy that. Just a few minutes away.

Brett saw Casey's text, picked up her purse, and left the apartment hoping Foster didn't hear her. She then made her way down the steps from her 2nd floor apartment to the sidewalk. She could see her car in the parking lot about 100 feet away. She wanted to get there before Casey did. She didn’t want to run the risk of standing there waiting in the parking lot in case Foster came back out.

Casey turned into Brett's apartment building, finding the entrance to the parking lot. Casey had never really spent a lot of time at Brett's place, so he didn’t really know where he was going. As he was slowly driving around, he spotted Brett's blonde hair one row over. Casey quickly pulled around in front of her and her silver car and stopped. Casey could now see Brett fully, and for a second he felt all of his breath leaving his body. She had on black slacks, with a purple blouse that has hints of yellow and green in it. Her hair was down, and the small heels she was wearing made her look taller than normal.

Casey put his truck in park, grabbed something off the seat beside him, and walked around the front of his truck towards her. Brett felt her heart start to race as he begam to get closer to her. He had on a pair of black dress shoes, coupled with dark jeans. His jeans weren’t too tight, nor too loose, which really helped to show off his strong legs. He had on a black dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the top and black sports coat. In his hand, he was carrying a single long stem red rose. Brett searched for the right word to describe him, but finally settled on "hot".

Casey closed the gap to her, now only a foot or so away. "Sylvie, you look incredible" he said without hesitation, handing her the rose. "This is for you."

Brett took the rose and looked into Casey's eyes. "Thank you. You look pretty good yourself."

Matt turned and opened the door to his truck for her to get in. Once she was in, he walked back around the truck and got in the driver’s side. With one quick look at her, he put the truck in gear and they were off.  
___________________________________________________  
They had been driving for a few minutes when Brett spoke first. "So where are we going tonight?"

"I am taking you to Caprioti's, that new Italian restaurant on Delaware near the water."

Brett couldn’t contain her excitement. She had been wanting to try out that restaurant for a few months now. "Really? I have been wanting to go there for a while now. I just love Italian food."

Casey quickly glanced at her, a grin on his face. "I know. You mentioned it once a few months ago to Kidd. When I was trying to figure out where to take you, I figured that was the perfect place."

Brett felt her cheeks get flushed. He remembered that? It wasn't some big conversation or anything important. She had just mentioned it to Kidd in passing one day at 51. "What kind of man remembers something like that?" she wondered.

With the ice broken, Casey spoke next. "I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up at your door Sylvie."

'That's okay" Brett said offhandedly, looking over at Casey concentrating on the road. "I had to date a Realtor but I don't think Foster suspects anything."

Casey did a double take at Brett, not sure he understood correctly what she just said. "You had a date with a Realtor?" His heart slowed for a few seconds, wondering what he had missed since their lunch on Saturday.

Brett laughed and looked at Casey, her smile beaming. "No. Sorry about that. I had to lie to Foster and tell her I was going on a date with a Realtor so she wouldn't suspect anything."

Casey let out a sigh of relief. Whew, she had him worried there for a second. Then his mind shifted, why did she choose to say Realtor? "Why did you say a Realtor?".

Brett blushed, slightly embarrassed. "Oh, this Realtor asked me out a while back when I was helping Julie look for a place to live."

"Oh" was all Casey could think to say, his mind running through countless scenarios with Brett and a Realtor on a date.

Brett noticed the change in Casey's demeanor, reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Matt, I never went out with him. I kept hoping a certain Captain was going to ask me out", she said with a smile.

Matt felt the sense of relief wash over him. He turned back to her and smiled. “I’m glad he finally did too”.

After a few seconds, Casey inquired, "I meant to ask you, what was going on this morning that had you upset?".

Brett looked down at the rose in her lap, as she fidgeted with its stem. "You can't tell anyone okay? But Foster is going back to medical school."

"Huh" Casey replied, wondering what brought that on, as well as what this was going to do to Brett and 61. "You okay with her leaving 51?" he asked.

Brett paused, trying to figure out the answer. "Yes I am happy for her. But lately I have had so much change in my life, and now I will not only have to find a new partner for ambo, but I also have to figure out what to do about my apartment."

"Apartment?" Casey asked quizzically.

"Yes" Brett replied. "Cruz had already let us know that he was moving in with Chloe after the wedding. Now Foster is moving out too. That means I have 2 months to either find 2 new roommates or I have to find another place to live."

Casey's head was bobbing up and down, like he was contemplating her problem. "Don't be the guy that tries to solve her problems" he said to himself.

"Don't worry Brett, I am sure it will all work out for you. Who wouldn't want to share an apartment with the amazing Sylvie Brett?" Casey said, with genuine sincerity.

"I appreciate that Matt" Brett responded, hoping her face showed more confidence than she was feeling.

The rest of the drive went by quickly. Casey had put Brett in charge of the radio, as they both discussed what kind of music they liked and various concerts they had been too. Country mainly for Brett, while Casey liked 80's and 90's music. "That's what happens when you haven an older sister" he had told her.  
__________________________________________  
If either of them were worried about having nothing to say after their lunch the other day, they shouldn’t have worried The conversation, and laughs, flowed easily between them. Casey talked about his sister Christie and niece Violet. Brett shared with him more about her concerns with Amelia living so far away, and her plans to go see her at least once a month. They also discussed, in somewhat surprising honesty, past relationships they had each had and what went wrong. Brett had known a lot about Casey's relationship with Gabby from her former partner, but was surprised to hear about it from Casey's point of view. She quickly realized that they had never been the "perfect" couple she had thought they were. The rest of the night had flown by, and they then found themselves again in Brett's parking lot.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you to your door Sylvie?"

"Better not chance it" Brett replied, while twirling the rose in her hands. "I don't know if Foster is home or not."

Casey paused and clears his throat. "Well, to say I had a nice time would be an understatement. I would love to take you out again if you would like?"

Brett glanced down at the rose, beaming before looking up. "Matt, I had a wonderful time with you. Both tonight and Saturday at lunch. I DEFINITELY want to do this again."

Matt let out a sigh of relief. "How about I take you to dinner and a movie Friday night?". He looked in Brett's eyes, wondering if he should kiss her.

"I would love that" Sylvie replied, her teeth chewing on her lip. Part of her wanted him to kiss her. In truth, ALL of her wanted him to kiss her, but she also knew that she wanted to take things slow with Matt. She didn’t want to do anything to potentially mess up this burgeoning relationship.

Matt's face could not hide his indecision. But just like at work, he quickly made a decision and went with it. He reached out and took Brett's hand in his. Gently, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, letting his lips linger on her skin. They could both feel the electricity in this simple act. "Good night Sylvie. I can't wait until we do this again."

For a second, Brett thought she might start shaking. Between the rose and Matt kissing her hand, she felt like she has been teleported back to an earlier time, one where romance and winning the heart of a woman were of the upmost importance. Unlike 202, she thought, where the goal was to get a woman into bed as quickly as possible. Brett took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Good night Matt." And with that, she turned and started walking back to her apartment, Matt's gaze never leaving her until she disappeared from sight.   
__________________________________________________  
The next few days flew by. Casey was still working on the remodel job while Brett had made a trip to Rockford to see Amelia. The texting between then had increased, each just wanting to check in on the other. During shift Thursday, they would try to catch each other's eyes before and during any call....just wanting to let the other to know they were there. Casey had done his best to give Brett her space inside the firehouse, as he was still worried if they were together for too long his emotions towards her would tip someone off. As he satin his quarters studying a newly revised manual, Severide entered and leaned against the door frame. Casey tried to turn off his smile before turning to his oldest friend.

"Hey Severide. What's up?"

Severide looked at Casey, wondering if he could figure out what had changed in his roommate. However, Casey's face didn’t give anything away. "Just checking in with you. You seem to have been really happy the last few days. Very anti-Casey like" Severide said with a laugh.

"Just had a good week that's all." Casey replied to his friend. "My remodel job is about done and I am getting some call backs on the bids I sent out last weekend. Overall, just a good week for my business."

Kelly knew instantly he was lying. Casey had been slammed with contracting jobs before, but never smiled like he had been the last few days. Severide decided not to push his friend, but figured he could have a little fun with him. "You know I know you are lying right? Contracting jobs don't give you that stupid grin you have been carrying the last few days. Just know I am here if you want to talk."

For a second, Casey thought about telling Kelly the truth. He and Kelly had been friends for long enough that they rarely hid things from each other, good or bad. Brett though, has asked him to keep them a secret and he was going to make sure he honored her request. "Appreciate Kelly. All is good, trust me. When I have something to tell, I will."

Severide just nodded his head and turned to head towards his office. Casey had a girl he thought as he walked back, wondering if it was Brett.

In the bullpen, Foster was pestering Brett about details from her date with the Realtor. Kidd, not knowing anything about this until today, had quickly gotten caught up to speed and had now joined Emily in the prodding.  
"Come on Brett" Kidd exclaimed. "Tell us what happened with the Realtor."

Brett hated to lie to her "girls", as she liked to call Foster and Kidd, but she still wasn’t ready for everyone at 51 to know that she and Casey had gone out on a date. "There's nothing to tell, you two. We had a date and it was nice. That's all."

Foster, ever the trouble maker, asked Brett, "So you are really telling me you didn't sleep with him? You left the apartment before I knew it and when I came back you were already holed up in your room. Tell me it wasn't with him?"  
Brett let out a shocked reply, louder than she intended to. "Foster NO. I did not sleep with the Realtor!"

Just then Casey walked into the room, overhearing Brett's conversation. Brett's face turned white with shock, and then she quickly buried her face in both of her hands. Kidd looked up to see the Captain, standing there staring at the wall behind them. Obviously, Casey didn't know Brett went out on a date. "If this Realtor could see the look on Casey's face now, he wouldn't ever ask Brett out again." Stella thought. "Casey looked like he was ready to punch a hole through something."

Casey took a deep breath, turned and retreated back to his office, mumbling to himself under his breath.

_______________________________________________ 

A few hours later, Brett knocked on Casey's office door. She had wanted to apologize to him the minute he had overheard their conversation, but was worried people would know something was up if she went running after him. Instead, she had waited a few hours.

"Casey, you busy?" she asked sheepishly.

Casey turned to look at her, his face sullen. "Sure Brett, come in and close the door."

For a second, Brett felt like she had been called to the principal’s office. She felt her nerves start to take over, as she started to fidget with her watch. "Casey, I just wanted to apologize about earlier." She took a breath and continued, "I'm so sorry if that upset you. I just didn't know what to say when Stella and Emily kept pressuring me to find out what happened on my date Friday night."

Casey could see the sincerity in her face. He quickly ran his hand through his hair, trying to think. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stay mad at Brett even if he wanted to. A small smile formed on his lips. "Brett, it's okay. This is all just harder to hide than I thought it would be. But I promised you that I would keep our secret, and that's what I am going to continue to do." Casey paused, and then continued, honestly. "But don't think for on second it makes it any easier hearing all of you talking about you dating a Realtor."

Brett's relief was palatable. She understood Casey's hurt. She knew that if the roles were reversed, and he was having to lie and say he was dating someone else that she wouldn't like it. Not at all. Her smile began to come back. "I know Matt. Just a little while longer I promise. As you can see by what happened today, once we tell everyone about our date it will be that kind of questioning times 10. Besides, we haven't even kissed yet, so I am not sure what there is to tell" she said, as her grin turned devilish and her eyes began to sparkle. 

Like something else was controlling him, Matt stood up from his chair, not stopping to look to see if anyone else was around. He walked directly over to Sylvie, took her face in his hands, and bent down and kissed her. A kiss that expressed everything he was feeling about this incredible woman. Brett's body didn’t know how to respond. Part of her was shocked he wa actually kissing her, while the other part was lost in the sensation of his lips on hers. She reached up with her hands, covering his that rested on her face and returned the kiss.

After a few moments, Matt stood back up, his eyes boring into hers. Matt cursed himself for doing something so uncharacteristic...especially for him. He couldn't help himself though. He was crazy about her. They both could feel their hearts racing as they each searched for the right thing to say.

Brett kept her eyes locked on Matt's. "Wow" she whispered, saying the first words that came to mind.

"Wow is right" Matt replied, smiling in return.

Brett tried to piece together what she wanted to say. "Matt?" she asked.

"Yes Sylvie?"

"Remind me when we are on our date Friday to tell you how much I enjoyed that kiss" Brett blushed.

Matt took her hands in his and lowered them from her face. "Definitely Sylvie....Definitely."

_____________________________________________________________

The next few days flew by. After shift, Brett drove to Rockford to see Amelia. She spent the night there, not driving back until Thursday afternoon. Matt had been busy too. He did have a lot of construction jobs coming his way, and he had been toying with idea of hiring some help. He was, however, also working on something personal. Something he had been thinking about a lot about over the last few months.

Both Casey and Brett continued to text each other off shift. They had discussed meeting up at Molly's Wednesday night when Brett got home, but they decided against it. Neither one of them were sure they wanted to be around the other unless they could be themselves with each other....the way they had been at lunch and on their date. They both agreed just to wait until Friday night to see each other.

Brett had been thinking about their kiss. A lot. It was so unlike Matt to be so spontaneous, but she couldn't deny that she liked it. She spent their entire time apart, remembering how his lips felt against hers. Across town, Matt was having the same thoughts, even though he still kicked himself for kissing her in a fire house of all places. He could not lie to himself that it wasn’t what he wanted. He only wished they would have been alone so he could have kissed her again.

Shift came and went without any major issues. The typical kitchen fires and automobile accidents happened, but luckily no one had been seriously injured during their 24 hours. Ambo was, as always, busier, but they had not dealt with any life-threatening situations. Brett and Casey were becoming more obvious in how they looked out for each other while on shift. Casey began to openly tell Brett to be careful before she and Foster left on a solo call. Most of the calls that truck 81 went on, 61 did as well. Sylvie would make a point to get out of her vehicle quickly, so that she and Matt could have one moment together, even while they were physically far apart, where they would look at each other. They both knew what the other was thinking without any words. Be safe.

As it neared the time for the 7am shift change, Matt began to gather up his belongings in his bag. He heard on knock on his door, turned, and could see Brett standing there.

"Morning Captain" Brett said smiling.

"Morning to you too Brett" Casey was a bit surprised for Brett to be at his doorway, considering their shift was almost over. "What can I do for you?"

Brett quickly glanced around, making sure no one was close enough to overhear her. She looked back at Casey with a grin. "Guess what I just found out?"

Casey's curiosity got the best of him, seeing the grin she had. "What is that?" he replied.

"I just found out that Emily is working at Molly's tonight from 5pm to closing. Which means that you, sir, can both pick me up and drop me off at my door” smiled Sylvie, thinking about another kiss.

“Well” Casey said, thinking of them having a chance to be alone together. “I think I can work with that. Want to walk out with me?”

To anyone else, the two of them walking out looked like two friends catching up. Brett was showing Casey pictures of Amelia she had taken on her trip. Casey, on the other hand, was telling her what his day looked like. When they reach Casey’s car, he had to resist the temptation to kiss her again. Instead he just winked at her, saying softly “I will see you tonight.”

Brett could feel her checks start to redden. “Can’t wait.”

_______________________________________________

As Brett sat, waiting on Casey to show up at her door, she thought about how crazy the last 2 weeks had been. First it was the dance at the wedding reception, then the lunch, and their date. Then that kiss. Now he was coming to pick her up again. A part of her felt like she had known Casey for decades, due to how close they had gotten these last few months. But another part of her still knew that she was more of an open book than he was. He hadn’t brought up to her about growing up in the terrible environment he had to face. Yes, they had talked about past relationships, but he had never really said what he was looking for in the future. Did he even want to get married again? Did he want kids, or did the whole Louie thing shy him away from wanting that?

A smaller part of Brett wondered what it would be like to be intimate with Casey. His lips on hers had started her down a rabbit hole, and she had yet to find a way out. Did he think about sleeping with her? What was he like in bed? Her pulse quickened at these thoughts and she threw her head back against the couch and groaned out load. “Snap out of it Brett!”, she admonished herself, “Casey probably doesn’t even think of you in that way.” Brett knew she had rushed into sex before in past relationships, like with Antonio, and they had ended with her getting her heart broken. She wasn’t sure she wanted to risk that with Matt. She could see a future with him, something she hadn’t been able to see with others. With Harrison, Antonio, and even Kyle, she had tried to see a future, but Brett knew it was an illusion of her making. But it was different this time…it was different with Matt. And if he broke her heart, she wasn’t sure she would recover.  
Just then she heard a knock on her door. Brett took a deep breath, willing those thoughts out of her head. She walked to the door and opened it, seeing Matt standing there, another long stem single red rose in hand. She couldn’t help her smile from growing, as invited him in. His eyes darted to and fro, taking in the living area of her apartment.

“Sylvie, this place is really nice.”

“Thanks” she replied, taking the rose and putting it in a vase with water. “Since it is only a rental, I haven’t really been able to decorate the way I want. Might be a good thing now, in case I end up having to move.”

Brett walked back into the living area where Casey was standing.

Matt put his hands on her shoulders. “Sylvie, I have no doubt in my mind something will work out for you with regards to the living situation, whether it is here or somewhere else” he said with a confident expression. 

Sylvie looked at Matt, dressed more comfortable tonight in jeans and a sweater to match her own look. “I appreciate it Matt. Ready to go?” She wondered why he was so confident when she wasn’t. Sylvie was partially afraid if she didn’t get Matt out of her apartment quickly, that she might be tempted to take him to her bedroom instead.

“Yep, let’s go.”  
_____________________________

Dinner was great, with easy conversation and many laughs. Brett told Matt all about Amelia, while Matt listened intently. Matt did offer up more of himself, about how he and his sister were growing up, but stayed away from the subject of his parents.

The movie was even better, with Matt choosing a romantic comedy that Brett had mentioned she wanted to see. “What guy willingly takes a girl to a romantic comedy?” she thought to herself. Even more surprising was how touchy Matt was with her. Sylvie had always been receptive to touch. It was in fact one of her love languages. But she never would have guessed in a million years how Matt behaved with her. On the way to and from the car he had held her hand. At the cinema, his hand never left hers during the entire movie. Brett could feel herself falling faster for Matt. How he was with her was SO different than he was with anyone else. She hated to compare herself with Gabby, but she couldn’t help herself with it came to him. Matt had never been this way with her former partner, whether is was at work, Molly’s, or any where else she had seen them together. It gave her a warm feeling inside that he was like this when he was with her. It made her feel special.

They got back to Sylvie’s apartment a little after 10pm. As they walked in, Sylvie asked Matt, “Hey, you want a beer?”

“Yes, that would be great. Thanks.”

Sylvie needed something to calm her nerves. Matt holding her hand the entire night had made her thoughts of being intimate with him go into overdrive. She knew she wanted him, she couldn’t deny that. But she questioned whether it was the right thing to do. She had just finished pouring herself a glass of rose, when she felt his hands on her shoulders.

While in her thoughts, Matt had walked up behind her. He started massaging her shoulders, feeling her start to go limp at his touch. He kept massaging her shoulders, feeling the tension leave her body. He bent down slightly, and kissed the base of her neck.

“Hummm…that feels so good” Brett thought to herself, feeling her body heat beginto rise. When she felt his lips on her neck, she couldn’t take it anymore and turned towards him.

Before he knew it, Sylvie’s lips were on his. He had wanted to kiss her again since last night, and now he was getting his chance. He kissed her, trying to convey to her all the different emotions he was feeling. He moved his hands around her, pulling her into him. 

Sylvie couldn’t resist kissing Matt first, especially after last night. She wanted…no needed, to feel his lips on her again. She felt his strong arms embrace her, so she let her hands move through his hair, then draping down along the back of his neck. 

Their kiss deepened, as his tongue began to dance with hers. She felt Matt ball up the back of her shirt in a fist, leaving his other hand free to run along the skin at the small of her back. She then felt Matt’s lips leave hers, as he moved down to kiss her neck, easing tantalizing lower toward her shoulder blade.

Sylvie knew she had to make a decision now. Her heart wanted her to take him back to her bedroom and spend the night lost in his touch. Her brain, however, was reminding her of every one of her failed relationships where sex had entered into it to quickly. Sylvie knew what Matt wanted, as she could feel his excitement against her hip. It was decision time. What was she going to do?

Sylvie decided in an instant. She puller her hands from around his neck and placed them on his chest, while his kisses still rained down on her skin. 

“Matt…wait.”

As soon as he heard those words, he pulled himself upright, looking into her eyes. She tried to find the strength, from somewhere, to tell him what she wanted.

“Matt, I really like you. And I really, REALLY like what you are doing to me right now. But I have rushed into sex before in relationships and it always turned out bad. I don’t want to do that with you. Does that make sense?”

Casey took a deep breath, a smile appearing on his face. “Sylvie, I would gladly give up one night of making love to you, for the chance to have a lifetime of you waking up in my arms.”

For a second, Brett thought time stood still. Of course, Casey would be okay with waiting. He was, and had always been a gentleman the entire time she knew him. It was what he said, though, that hit her so hard. He didn’t say he would give up on night of sleeping with her, or having sex, or some other vulgar, slang term she only used in the bedroom. He said “making love”.

It was at that moment that Sylvie finally admitted to herself what her heart had already known. 

She was falling in love with Matthew Casey.  
_____________________


	4. The past is the past, isn't it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie continue to get closer together. However, will the choices they both make bring them closer together, or will the hurt they have both experienced cause them to put the brakes on their relationship?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate the continued feedback. I feel like I am 2-4 chapters (long ones) from finishing up this story. If you all would like shorter chapters rather than long ones, let me know and I can make that happen. Tougher to write long chapters during the week as opposed to the weekend.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Matt had just gotten back to Kelly's loft after his date with Sylvie. The entire drive back he had thought about her. Of course he would forgo making love to her if it meant that they had a chance to keep their relationship growing. Sylvie was unlike any woman he had ever dated. She was open with him, never hiding anything. She was affectionate, and seemed to enjoy when he held her hands and touched her. And for once, he didn't feel like there was some alternate agenda going on like he had felt sometimes with Gabby. The more he thought of her, the more he could see a future with her. Even with all that, Matt knew he was about 5 minutes away from a VERY cold shower when he walked in the door.

Severide and Kidd were on the couch, cuddling and watching television. He enjoyed seeing his friend so happy. Kidd had been a good influence on him. As a matter of fact, Casey wouldn't have been surprised if Kelly asked her to marry him at any moment.

"Hey Casey" Severide said, hearing Matt come in the door. "Where have you been?".

Matt tried to think of an excuse, but couldn't come up with one fast enough. "I was just out. Trying to clear my head."

Both Severide and Kidd knew Casey was lying. He was far too dressed up to be out, by himself, thinking.

Kidd mentioned to Casey, "Hey, there is some leftover chicken in the fridge if you want any."

"No thanks, I grabbed something while I was out" Casey replied.

Kidd and Severide shared a glance, knowing something was up. Kelly gave Stella a quick head turn, and mouthed the word "don't". Kidd quickly turned her attention back to the TV.

Severide looked back towards Casey. "Hey man, I feel like we rarely see each other any more. You want to grab some cigars on the roof next shift"

"Sounds good Severide" Casey said, going into his room to shut the door. He really needed that cold shower.

_________________________________________________

Casey and Brett were both busy over the weekend. Casey was still trying to keep all of his customers happy, whether it was finishing jobs or returning calls.

Brett, on the other hand, had driven back to Fowlerton Saturday morning to spend some time with her parents. She hadn't seen them since Julie passed away. While Brett was at home, she felt her Mom and Dad, and even her brother, looking at her funny from time to time. She knew they were curious about why she was smiling so much, even questioning her why a few times. She hoped they couldn't read her mind, which had been mainly consumed with a certain handsome Captain who was currently almost 4 hours away.

Finally, Carol, Brett's Mom, had reached her limit and had to find out what was going on. "Sylvie, what is going on? You haven't stopped smiling since you got home?"

Brett closed her eyes, her cheeks turning red, wondering what to say. She knew her parents had been disappointed that she and Kyle hadn't worked out. Mostly because it would have brought Brett back to Fowlerton for good. She also knew that her parent's thought highly of Kyle as a person, even if he wasn't right for he. She wasn't sure how they would feel to find out she was already dating someone again.

"I met someone...no, that's not right. I have started seeing someone" Brett replied, clearly flustered.

"Oh" her mother said, pursing her lips. "When did this come about?"

Brett was trying to decide how much to tell them. She didn't want her parents disappointed in her for starting a relationship so quickly after Kyle. But by the same token, Matt was different. They would be able to see that right?

"A few weeks ago now Mom."

Carol thought over this information. All she wanted was for her baby girl to be happy. She just worried about her getting hurt again.

"And just who is this man you are seeing that has you smiling so much?" her Mom asked.

Brett didn't want to lie to her parents. So she decided to tell them the truth. "Matt Casey. The Captain that I work with at Firehouse 51."

Carol's husband Frank was now interested in the conversation. "Sylvie, isn't that the man you always mention to us when you call?" he asked.

"Yes Daddy. He and I have been friends for a long time. He has really been there for me with all the things I have had to deal with this past year."

"Does he treat you good?" Frank asked.

"Daddy, you have no idea. He is the ultimate gentleman. I have never dated anyone like him before."

Frank considered this information, taking in the smile on his daughter's face. "As long as he treats you good and you are happy, then I am happy."

Brett smiled at her father's kind words. Carol, on the other hand, shot her husband a dirty look for being so easy on their daughter. "She always had him wrapped around her finger" she thought.

"Sylvie, honey, I know that you have talked about Matt before to us. Wasn't he married to your old partner?"

Leave it to her Mom to find a way to clear right through the clutter and get to the point, she thought.

"Yes Mom, Matt was married to Gabby. But do you remember me telling you that Gabby up and left him and moved to Puerto Rico, only to send Matt divorce papers in the mail?" Sylvie hoped her Mom would understand Matt's situation wasn't his fault.

"Yes, I do remember that" Carol said, trying to choose her words carefully. "We just want you to be happy Sylvie. Are you serious about this Captain?" Carol could already tell by the way her daughter was acting, but wanted to hear the words from her.

"Yes I am" Sylvie verbalized for the first time to anyone, surprising herself. "He treats me unlike any one I have ever dated before. And the fact that we have been friends for so long is different from any of my past relationships. Everything just feels natural and easy with Matt," Brett took a breath, hoping her Mother's line of questioning would end quickly.

"Do you think he feels the same way about you honey?" Carol asked.

Sylvie pondered that question. She and Casey hadn't discussed anything like that yet. They hadn't even discussed being exclusive with each other. A sliver of jealousy ran down her spine, thinking about Matt dating someone else. No, she thought, trying to push those doubts away. Even though they had not talked about what they were yet, Matt had to be on the same page as her. The way he talked to her and listened to her. The way he treated her made her feel like he was on the same page...didn't it? Sylvie took a breath, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Mom, I feel like he is. We haven't talked about us in terms like that. It's just something I feel."

Carol took in her daughter's words. Even though she hand't said it, Carol could sense that her daughter had fallen hard and fast for this new man in her life. She decided if that was the case, then the next step should be evident.

"Well honey, if you are serious about this young man, then I think you should bring him to Folwerton one weekend."

The smile on Brett's face quickly vanished. How did her Mom do it? Turn a simple conversation into a test by forcing her to ask Casey to come home with her and meet them. "Oh well", Brett thought to herself. "My conversation with Matt Monday at work is going to be a little awkward now.

_________________________________________

Casey had spent the weekend working on remodels, but had made sure to take some time out of his days to focus on a project he was working on for himself. He had also made an appearance at Molly's Saturday night, but didn't stay long. It didn't feel right being there without Sylvie there. The two of them had texted each other back and forth all weekend and had made tentative plans to meet up Sunday afternoon when she got back in town. However, road construction turned her 4 hour trip home into a 6 hour one. At that point all she wanted to do was get to her apartment and crash, even though she had missed Matt while she was gone. Casey had promised her it was okay. Anyway, they would be seeing each other for 24 hours starting tomorrow morning.

As Casey soon as Casey got to 51, he started looking for Brett. He had not slept well the night before, thinking of her. He too had missed her when she was gone. He had come to a decision that he wanted to talk to her about, and he figured the next day at shift was the time to do it.

Brett and Foster walked in together like normal, since they typically would car pull together if the other didn't have anything to do immediately after shift. As they walked into the firehouse, Brett tried her best to discretely look for Casey. She had missed him a lot this weekend. Her parents grilling of her had not helped. She was trying to think of a way to tell him about the invitation to Fowlerton. As she got to her locker, she saw Casey about to walk out.

"Hey Casey! How was your weekend?" she asked, trying to not let her enthusiasm at seeing him come through.

A huge smile appeared on Matt's face when he saw her. Good lord he thought...she was beautiful. "It was good. How about you Brett?".

Brett returned his smile while she chewed on her lip nervously. All she wanted to do was run over and kiss him, wanting to feel him hold her in his warm embrace. "Went back home to see the folks. You?" .

Part of her wondered if he might have gone out on a date while she was gone. A small chill went down her spine at the thought of that.

Casey saw Brett quickly flinch, almost like she had been touched with something cold. "You okay?" he asked concerned.

Brett tried to laugh it off. "Yeah I am fine. See you at roll call". For some reason she felt the need to get away from him and clear these thoughts from her head.

Casey's face still showed his concern for her. "Okay. Just wanted to make sure. Will you stop by my quarters after roll call? There is something I want to talk to you about."

Sylvie tried to keep a smile on her face, but inside she felt her stomach turn. Was she right? Had he actually gone out on a date while she was at her parents? It was true that they had not talked about their relationship in any detail yet, but her heart broke thinking that Matt would want to see someone else. How could he be the way he had been with her on their dates and then go out with some one else? Sylvie quickly left the locker room and went straight to roll call, fearing that she would start crying if she thought about this anymore. She prayed that Chief made today's roll call short, because she felt like she needed the shelter of her ambulance right now.

Casey had seen the change come over Brett's face before she ran out of the locker room. "What was that about?" he thought to himself. He silently prayed that they wouldn't get a call before he could talk to her. He wanted to find out what was wrong.

Sylvie got to roll call, taking her normal seat. Kidd sat down beside her and looked at her friend. She could see something was wrong.

"You okay Brett?" Brett turned to look at Kidd.

"Yeah I am fine. Thanks for asking."

Kidd knew that whatever Brett said, she wasn't fine. It wasn't until Casey walked into the room and Brett quickly turned to face the other direction, that made her believe she had figured out the source of her friend's behavior. "I don't care if Casey is Kelly's best friend," she thought. "I will still have words with him if he hurts Brett.".

Casey could only see the back of Brett's head. Why had she turned away when he walked in? He didn't know, but he needed to find out. He thought things had been going so good. Had something changed when she was in Fowlerton? Casey thought about Kyle still being there and felt an unease come over him. He knew that what he wanted to talk to her about was even more important now.

Luckily, Chief had a headache this morning and cut roll call short. Casey headed straight towards his quarters, hoping that Brett would follow him. He had just sat down in his office when she knocked at the door. She looked like she might cry at any moment. What in the world was going on? 

"You wanted to see my Captain?" she said softly.

"Brett come in and sit down please" The principal's office feeling washed over her again. She had decided during roll call that if Casey wanted to see other people, then she would call that Realtor who asked her out. That wasn't want she wanted though. She wanted Matt. She had made up her mind not to let him see that he could make her cry, though she wasn't sure she could pull that off. Brett sat on Casey's cot, looking down at her feet.

Casey got up and closed the door. He wanted to make sure that no one else overheard what he was about to tell her. "Sylvie, what's wrong?" he said, reaching for her hand.

"I'm fine, it's nothing" she replied, crossing her arms in front of her.

Casey's hand floated in midair, waiting for her to accept it. When she didn't, he pulled it back. "Sylvie, I was thinking about you all weekend" he said, his gaze on her glassy eyes. "I know we have only gone on two official dates, but that is enough for me to know."

Brett could feel her hands start to sweat. She was sure she was going to cry at any moment. For a brief second, she thought about making a break for the locker room before hearing what she knew was coming. More heart break.

"Sylvie, I just want you to know that I don't want to see anyone else. I only want to see you. I don't want to pressure you into anything you aren't ready for, but I'm hoping that you feel the same."

Sylvie could feel all the tension and worry leave her body as soon as he finished speaking. She wanted to kick herself for ever doubting him. It was at that moment when she realized that because of all past heartbreaks, she had conditioned herself to sit and wait for the next one to come. She didn't need time to think about her answer. She had known the answer since their dance at the wedding reception.

"Matt, I feel the exact same. I only want to see you too" she said, her smile returning.

Casey felt exhilarated at her words. Almost like hitting the winning home run in the bottom of the ninth. He reached out for her hand, which she gladly took this time.

"What was the matter than?"

"Matt, you know how much heartbreak and loss I have suffered. I have just started to feel like I have am waiting for the next shoe to drop and see my heart get broken again. I was worried you were going to tell me you wanted to date other people." Her cheeks flushed at her honesty.

Matt looked at her, his emotions swelling. "Nothing could be farther from the truth. If I am being honest, I haven't thought about another woman except for you for a long time." Matt had made her happy. Very happy. She was excited about this next step that they had just taken.

"Sylvie, since we agree we are on the same page, we need to to do 2 things."

Brett was curious now. "And what might those be?" she asked, her eyes twinkling. She was hoping one of the two things was a kiss.

"Well, first, I think we need to go see Chief and let him know about us. I don't want to keep any secrets from him."

Brett hadn't thought about them having to talk to Bodden about their relationship, but she knew the CFD required it. Could they tell the Chief and keep it a secret from everyone else?

"Okay" she said. "And what about the second one?".

"You have to come to dinner this week and meet my sister and niece." Matt said, shaking his head. "I was on the phone with Christie this weekend, and she knew something was up. I guess I can't hide my happiness over this girl I am seeing" He said smiling. " Anyway, she asked what was up and I told her about you. Now both Christie and Violet want to meet you ." Casey's eyes were pleading with her, almost like he was asking her for a favor.

"I would love that Matt." Matt was relieved to hear her acceptance. As they got up to go see Chief Bodden, Sylvie decided now was her turn to add a third thing to their list.

"Oh, by the way," she said with a giggle. "You are going to have to come home with me to Fowlerton one weekend because my parents want to meet you too."

____________________________________________

Chief Wallace Bodden was sitting in his office, trying to digest the latest CFD regulation changes. The headache that he had was not getting better, only worse, reading the legalese that some politician had come up with. Just then, he heard a knock on his door. He looked up to see Casey and Brett.

"Chief, do you have a second?" Casey asked. Bodden studied the two for a second before answering. "Sure. You two come in and grab a seat".

When Matt closed the door behind him, the Chief had an inkling of where this conversation was headed. Brett and Casey both sat in the office chairs facing the Chief's desk. Since Casey out ranked her, Brett let him do the talking.

"Chief, Brett and I wanted to come and talk to you." Casey took a deep breath and continued. "We wanted you to be the first to know that we are officially in a relationship."

Bodden leaned back in his chair, taking the two of them in. In his heart, he had wondered if this day would come. From the looks in the firehouse to the way they danced together, Casey and Brett seemed on a collision course for this meeting. Bodden smiled at them both and leaned forward and put his arms on his desk.

"Brett, Casey, I couldn't be happier for the two of you. I know you two have been through a lot over the last couple of years, but I hope the two of you find happiness together."

Brett smiled at the Chief's kind words. Was it really this easy? She had never officially let CFD know she was in a relationship with someone at work before.

"Thank you Chief. That means the world to us" Casey said, looking over at Brett.

Brett found the nerve to speak. "So is that all we have to do?" she asked, glancing at the both of them.

Boden laughed, an easy, kind hearted laugh. "Unfortunately not Brett. This is Chicago you work for." The Chief reached behind him to get 2 forms off his credenza. "Both of you have to fill out these forms individually. And I, I have to call CFD HQ Human Resources and advise them of this turn of events."

"Oh" Brett replied, knowing it wouldn't have been as easy as she thought.

"Thanks Chief. We will get these filled out and returned to you ASAP." Casey replied, standing to leave. Brett followed his lead.

"Thank you Chief. We appreciate your support" she said.

As they walked out of his office, Bodden laughed to himself. He didn't normally have CFD relationship forms just laying around. He had printed those forms the first shift back after Cruz's wedding, knowing that this meeting would eventually happen.

____________________________________________

As Brett and Casey sat in his quarters, filling out the required forms, Mouch walked by heading towards the bathrooms. He glanced at Brett and Casey, together, in Casey's quarters, filling out paperwork. Thinking he knew what was going on, he chuckled all the way to his destination.

Brett was half way through filling out her form, when she looked at Casey. Ever the studious one, Casey had his head down, working feverishly to complete his form as quickly as possible. Brett couldn't help but think of how cute he looked, wondering if that was what he looked like when he was in school.

"Matt?" she said.

"Hey, almost done?"

"Yes" Sylvie replied. "I have been thinking. If we are going to make this official with the CFD, maybe it is time to tell everyone else."

Casey leaned back in his chair, thinking. "Hmmm. I have really enjoyed this just being our little secret, but maybe you are right."

"I don't want to tell everyone at the same time " Brett stated, thinking of a plan. "It would just be too much all at once. Why don't I tell Stella and Emily and you tell Severide? We can just let the word get out slowly from there."

"Works for me Brett" Casey said, finishing up his form. "By the way, do you know how much I want to kiss you now?"

"Probably not as much as I want to kiss you." Brett replied, feeling her pulse quicken.

Just then, the alarm went off. TRUCK 81, SQUAD 3, AMBULANCE 61. STRUCTURE FIRE AT 62 WILBANKS DRIVE.

"Oh well" Casey said rushing up to go get ready. "Maybe when we get back?"

Brett had started to turn to head to her ambulance, when she turned at looked at Casey. "Be safe."

"You too Sylvie. You too."

_____________________________________

The rest of the shift was much of the same. While they had enjoyed a couple of quiet shifts lately, this one was anything but. All three vehicles felt like as soon as they got back to 51 they were called back out again. With too little sleep to show for it, 7am came and the entire crew of 51 started heading home. Brett was walking out with Casey, not holding his hand since she had not had a chance to tell Foster and Kidd yet.

"Casey, I am going to tell Emily and Stella tonight at Molly's. Do you want to meet me there?"

"Normally I would Sylvie, but I have got something important to do this afternoon. Then Kelly and I are going to smoke some cigars tonight. I will tell him then."

Brett was a little disappointed, but understood Casey needed some space sometimes, just like she did. "Okay, I will see you tomorrow night then."

"That's right" Casey said with a glint to his eyes. "You get to have dinner with my family tomorrow night."

Brett couldn't help but smile. This felt like another step they were taking in their relationship.

"Can't wait. See you then." Just as Casey was getting in his truck, Brett stopped him.

"By the way Captain, I expect that kiss you mentioned first thing tomorrow night."

"Yes mam. You have yourself a deal."

_______________________________________

After dinner, Severide and Casey went up to the roof of his building, cigars in hand. They had long ago put some folding chairs and ashtrays up there for when they got the urge to relax. The night was not too cool, which made it perfect for them as they sat down and lit their cigars.

"So Kelly" Matt started. "There is something I wanted to tell you."

"Yeah, what's that?" Severide replied, blowing a smoke ring out of his mouth, savoring the feeling.

"I'm sorry I had to do it, but I lied about Brett and me. We are going out."

Kelly's smile widened, as he patted his friend's shoulder. "About damn time. I am happy for you two. How is it going?"

Matt was not one to share his feelings easily. With Kelly, however, he would open up to him from time to time. "It's incredible. I don't know what is so different about Sylvie versus anyone else I have dated, but it's just easy. I love her company, she is easy to talk to you, and she says what she means. Which is a nice change of pace."

Kelly knew that Matt was referencing Gabby with that last statement. He tried to think of the right thing to say to his best fried. "Matt, I know you loved Gabby. But Gabby acted like she wasn't married half the time. That is no way to go through life, not knowing what your significant other is thinking or doing."

Matt considered what Severide had just said. He was right of course, but it had taken so long for Matt to see it when he and Gabby were together. All he knew was that Sylvie made him happy and he felt like he did the same for her.

"Kelly, for once in my life, I believe I have found someone to make me forget all the mistakes I have made before. Does that make sense."

Kelly nodded his head. He felt the same way about Stella. Kelly took out his cigar and lifted it in the air as if it was a wine glass. "Here's to great women and good cigars."

'Here here" Matt replied.

_____________________________________

Across town, Sylvie set at the bar at Molly's. Stella was working tonight, so Brett went without her normal booth, taking up space close to her friend. Foster was supposed to be here any minute. Brett's hands were slightly shaking as she drank her glass of rose. This was a big step she was taking with her girls, and one she was a little worried about. Once word got out about Matt and her, if they ever ended things, everyone at the firehouse would know. She didn't want to have to go through that humiliation again. She had been a part of a few firehouse romances in the past, but nothing like this. When she thought what could come between she and Matt, her mind couldn't come up with anything. That's what scared her...the one thing you never thought could happen.

Foster entered the bar looking for Brett. She found her at the bar and walked over, taking the chair next to her.

"Why are we sitting at the bar Brett?"

Brett looked back at her friend. "Grab a drink first. Then I have something I want to tell you and Kidd."

Kidd glanced over at the sound of her name. So Brett was finally going to tell them about the Realtor! She couldn't wait. If there was one thing that Brett needed after the year she had, it was to be happy. And what better way to be happy than dating a new guy? Kidd brought over Foster's usual, leaning against the bar in front of Brett.

"So Brett...spill it. Tell us about the Realtor?"

Brett blushed. They were really like dogs with a bone, never letting go of anything. "Well, I wanted to share with you some news that no one else knows" she teased.

They both leaned in closer, hoping to hear some juicy details like the Realtor was coming to Molly's tonight.

"Well?" Foster and Kidd asked, almost at the same time.

Brett couldn't help but smiling. Just saying his name did that to her. "I wanted to let you know that Matt and I are dating." Brett quickly took in their faces, trying to gauge their reactions. They were both silent for a second.

Foster was the first one to respond. "Wow...that's not where I thought you were going with that."

Kidd could see Sylvie's face fall over Foster's reaction. She decided to chime in. "Brett, that's great! I am so happy for you two."

Foster was still shaking her head, not quite understanding. "What happened to the Realtor?"

Brett shook her head. She had hated lying to them. "There was never a date with the Realtor. The dates were with Matt. I'm sorry I didn't tell you two the truth. I just didn't want to make a big deal of us going out if turned out it wasn't going anywhere."

"Wait" Kidd exclaimed. "So exactly what do you mean when you say going anywhere."

Brett blushed, her smile widening. "Matt told me today he didn't want to see any body but me. So, we met with Chief and filed our relationship paperwork."

Foster was still silent, staring into her drink. Brett looked at her and asked,

"Emily, do you have a problem with me dating Matt?"

Foster weighed her response. "No Sylvie. I am happy for you. I just didn't necessarily see you dating Matt. Don't get me wrong, you two have chemistry that's for sure. He just seems so....so....sullen for your always happy self."

At that moment, Brett knew her partner was just watching out for her, which she appreciated.

"Guys, you have no idea what he is like when it is just the two of us. He is completely different than he is at the station."

Kidd couldn't help herself. She had to ask. "So I have noticed Matt coming home late at night looking very happy. Would you have something to do with that?"

Brett knew Kidd was was talking about sex. Kidd always talked about sex. Brett turned 3 shades of red at once. "Nope. I asked him if we could take it slow when it comes to, well, that. He agreed, so if he is happy it must just be due to my sparkling personality."

Kidd and Foster both laughed out loud at Brett's remark until Brett piped up. "But I will tell you this. And you can NEVER repeat this. If he makes love like he kisses, I am going to be one happy lady!"

Stella and Emily both toasted Brett on that, and they spent the rest of the night talking about Matt and Sylvie. Except for the times when Hermann actually made Kidd work.

____________________________________________

Brett was running late for their dinner at his sister's house, getting back from her spin class too late to get ready in time for Matt to pick her up. He had texted her the address and she replied that she would just meet him there. When she got to Christie's house, she saw a charming little bungalow that looked perfect for Christie and her daughter, Violet. As Brett made her way up the front steps, a bottle of wine in hand, she inhaled a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. For some reason on the way over here, she had realized that this was as close as she was going to get to meeting Casey's family. She wanted to make a good impression. She wanted Matt's sister and niece to like her. "Just be yourself and relax" she chanted to herself on the way to the door and knocked.

"You must be Sylvie" Christie said, opening the door and giving Brett a hug. "It's so good to meet you after hearing about you from Matt for so long."

"So long" Brett thought to herself. They had only been dating a few weeks.

Casey quickly came up behind his sister. "Now Christie, don't go scaring Brett away when she just got here" he said laughing. Christie took the bottle of wine with thanks, and headed back to the kitchen. Matt walked closer to Sylvie, leaning down to gave her a soft kiss. He then wrapped his arms around her.

"Glad you could make it tonight. Don't let Christie bother you. She still feels the need to protect her little brother."

Brett melted in Casey's embrace, hugging him back. "Thanks" she replied. "I am hoping to learn more about Matt Casey tonight, so it should be fun.".

Casey shook his head, guessing that he was probably going to the be the topic of conversation tonight. "Sylvie, let me introduce you to my niece Violet."

Brett was taken back by how beautiful the 12 year old girl that stood in front of her was. She could see traces of Matt in her due to the family lineage. She could also see Christie's warm smile on her face.

"It's nice to finally meet you Violet. Your Uncle Casey gushes on and on about you all the time."

The young girl blushed, while looking up at her Uncle. Clearly, she was found of Casey. "You do Uncle Matt?"

"Of course I do" Casey replied, feigning mock surprise. "Why wouldn't I talk about the wonderful person who made me an Uncle?"

Violet wrapped her arms around Casey's waist in a quick hug. "Come on Sylvie, it's abut time to eat."

Dinner was excellent. Christie obviously was a good cook. Brett figured that must have been how Casey learned to cook. As Captain, Casey didn't have to cook much any more. However, she could remember some of the meals he had made before he got promoted and they were all very good. Brett also learned more about how Casey was when he was younger. Christie told stories of a very studios, very focused young Matthew Casey that gave Brett some insight into why he acted certain ways sometimes. However, every time Christie mentioned their parents, she could see Matt's eyes looking down at the table. She could tell Christie noticed this too, as she would quickly change the subject.

As soon as dinner was over, Christie shooed Matt and Violet into the back yard, explaining that she and Sylvie needed some "girl time". As Matt and Violet shot basketball in the back yard, Sylvie helped Christie with clearing the table and washing and drying the dishes.

"Sylvie, I am so glad you came over tonight. Me and Vi were wondering if this girl Matt was always talking about was real or a figment of his imagination."

Sylvie could feel her face blush at her kind words. She knew she needed to ask the question, so decided know was as good as any. "Christie, just how long has Matt been talking about me?"

Brett could tell Christie was thinking, remaining silent for the answer. "Gosh, I don't know. Probably a good year of so."

Brett was stunned. A year? That meant Casey had been talking to his sister about her before she even meant Kyle. Could he have liked her that long and she not have known it? Immediately,

Christie knew that her words had touched a nerve with the young woman standing beside her drying dishes. She thought about what to say next, and decided to tell her the truth.

"Sylvie, Matt doesn't talk much, as I am sure you know by now. He only talks about people and things he cares about. I know all about you and your ex. The month when you moved back home, it was like Matt was a boy who lost his puppy. Just mopping around, depressed and not caring. When you came back, it was like a light in him came back on."

With a dish in her hands, Brett sat there drying it absentmindedly, trying to put the pieces of what Christie had just told her. "Wow, I had no idea" was the only thing she could think of.

"Well," Christie replied while looking out the window at her brother and daughter playing. "I think that means that my brother is clearly crazy about you." Christie paused, looking over at Sylvie. "And by the look I am seeing on your face, I would say that feeling is mutual?" Brett didn't know if Christie's comment was a question or a statement. Some how she found the nerve to look over at Matt's sister. 

"Yes Christie. That feeling is definitely mutual."

_____________________________________

After dinner was over and Casey had finished playing with Violet, He walked Brett to her car. Brett seemed lost in her thoughts.

"What did you think Sylvie?"

Matt's voice jarred her of her thoughts. She still couldn't get over the fact that Matt had been talking about her to Christie for a year.

"It was great. Your sister and niece are really nice. You can certainly tell that Violet thinks her Uncle Casey hung the moon."

Matt rubbed his chin with his hand, clearly happy. "I hope so. She is the only niece I have so I have to watch out for her."

When they got to Brett's car, Casey bent down a gave her a long kiss, much more intimate than the one had given her when she got there. Brett could feel her body heat go up at the touch of his lips on hers. As soon as he broke the kiss, he wrapped her up in his arms. Brett was amazed at the strength she could feel in his arms, knowing that even with that strength, he was always so gentle with her.

"Got any plans tomorrow?" Casey asked, looking deep into Brett's eyes.

Sylvie took a breath. God, it felt like he could see into her soul with the way he looked at her sometimes.

"No big ones. Have got to do some laundry and then run to the grocery store. Not the most exciting day off."

A smile formed on Matt's lips. "Would you have time to meet me tomorrow? I have a something I want your feedback on."

Brett wondered what in the world he could want her feedback on? "Yeah, I can do that. You want to say 2pm?"

Sylvie wondered if he was going to call her, come see her, or wanted her to come to his loft.

"Great" Casey replied, still smiling. "I will text you the address tomorrow morning. Good night Sylvie. Thanks for doing this."

Matt then turned and walked towards his truck. Brett stood there beside her car. "What did I just get myself into?" she wondered.

_______________________________

At 1:55pm, Brett arrived at the address Casey had texted her that morning. In front of her stood a home in the Morgan Park area of Chicago. She saw Casey standing in front of his truck in the house's driveway. "I wonder if he wants me to look at a job he is doing?" she thought, feeling her excitement grow. She really did love HGTV. Actually, it was like a passion of hers. She always wondered how people, and she guessed Casey was part of that group, could take something make something more beautiful and functional than it already was. Having that skill set amazed her. She giddily ran over to Casey at his truck.

"What do you think?" Casey asked.

"Wow" Brett replied.

In front of her was a two story brick house. It had a concrete path going up a few steps to it from the sidewalk, with a driveway to the left of the house. The house sat at the corner of a cul de sac, so it looked to have a larger back yard than most houses. Beyond Casey's truck, she could see a detached garage at the very back of the lot.

"Casey this house is awesome. What work do they want you to do?"

Casey took Brett's hand, leading her up the path towards the front door. "Come in and I will show you." Casey unlocked the door and let Brett go in first.

"Is the family here?" she asked, not wanting to be rude.

"No" Casey replied. The lady who owned this passed away a few months ago. Her son asked me to tell him what I thought they should update or change before they put it on the market. Since I know you watch HGTV all the time, I thought you could give me some insight too."

Brett looked around the home. To her left was a family room with a very old TV. If Casey wouldn't have told her, she would have guessed that the house belonged to an elderly person. The room had dark paneling on the walls, with light brown shag carpet. Brett looked back at Casey, who had taken out a pad to make notes on.

"You want my honest thoughts?" she asked, wanting to make sure that was what Casey was looking for.

"Of course" Casey replied.

Brett chewed on her lip, deep in thought. "Well first, I would take down the paneling in this room. It's just too dark a color, and makes the room look like a cave. Then, I would take up that old carpet. I wonder if there are hardwoods under the carpet?" Bret asked, her inner Joanna Gaines coming out.

Casey chuckled, seeing how into this Brett was getting. "There are hardwoods underneath. They actually run every where downstairs."

"Whew" Brett replied amazed. What a gem this person was sitting on and they didn't even know it. She had no doubt Casey could turn this old room into a new one without any issues. And it wouldn't even cost a lot of money at that.

Casey and Brett continued to walk through out the house. There was a master bedroom downstairs with it's own bathroom, which was surprising based on the age Brett guessed this house was. Across the house was a small study, with built ins for books. The kitchen, as Brett feared, was hideous. It looked like the owner had never updated a single thing in it. Brown appliances and an avocado colored refrigerator were certainly remnants of a different era. Upstairs there were two bed rooms connected by a shared bath room.

As they walked around the house, Brett would throw out suggestions, always looking back towards Casey to see his reaction. Every time he just smiled, nodding his head, like her ideas were exactly what he was thinking too. They then stepped out on a small brick stoop, looking out towards the back yard. Brett had been right. The back yard was MUCH bigger than most homes in Chicago. She then looked at the detached garage, looking back at Casey.

"The owner was just using it for storage. I am not sure it would even hold a car to be honest with you."

After the tour, and the endless amount of notes Casey had taken, they walked back out to his truck.

"So Sylvie, what do you think now that you have seen the inside."

Brett thought about her answer, trying to be honest and not sugar coat anything.

"Matt, it's a wonderful house. I would imagine you don't find many houses like this, with that big of a back yard, in Chicago. It needs a lot of work though. A LOT. But, if the owner agrees to just half the things you put on that list, this house will be the perfect home for a new family." In her heart, Brett thought that she would like a house like this one day.

"So Matt, do you think you can convince them to do the work before they sell it?"

Matt ran his head through his hair. "Yeah, I am almost positive I can."

Brett laughed at Matt's confidence level. Then looked at him, almost challenging his bravado. "Pretty cocky there aren't you? I can't imagine that work will be cheap. Just what makes you think you can convince the owner to do all that work?"

Matt thought about that for a second before a small smile appeared on his face. "That's easy. Because I am the owner."

_____________________________________

Brett couldn't hide her shock at his words. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

His face full of delight, Matt answered. "Sylvie, I am buying this house. I close on it next week."

Brett couldn't think of any thing else to do, so she quickly wrapped her arms around him. "Congratulations Matt. That's incredible."

Matt loved the feeling of her in his arms. "Thanks. I appreciate that. I also appreciate your feedback on what work needs to be done."

Brett was happy for him, but was still confused. Before she could stop the words, she blurted out "Can you afford to buy a house?" She instantly turned beet red. That wasn't her place to ask him that. Yes, they were dating, but they had not reached the point where they talked about money or their finances. She couldn't deny she was curious though. She knew Captains made a lot more than PICs, but didn't know it was that much. She definitely couldn't afford a house. Heck, she couldn't even afford her apartment by herself.

"Matt, I am so sorry. I don't have the..."

Matt put his fingers over her lips to stop her from talking. He was giggling when he finally said, "Sylvie, it's okay. I can't afford to buy any house, but I can afford this one. Johnson, a Lieutenant at Firehouse 14, this was his mother's house. He and I have been in some training together so he knew I did construction. When he thought about putting the house on the market, he called me to get an idea of what needed to be done. When I told him how much it would cost, he said he might just sell it as is. So I asked him how much he was wanting, and when he told me, I knew it was too good a deal to pass up. So I offered to buy it from him. He immediately said yes, as he will save on Realtor commissions and I don't have to fight the public in any type of bidding war."

Brett thought about his words, still not understanding. Even at a reduced price, a house, any house, was expensive.

Matt could see the wheels turning in Brett's mind. "Sylvie, I had the settlement from my condo fire last year as a down payment. As you can by my 20 year old truck, I don't spend a lot of money. Plus I have been working pretty much two jobs for 6-7 years now. To be honest with you, I have known for a while now that I needed to get my own place. I can tell that Severide and Kidd want to be alone sometimes, so I am starting to feel like a third wheel. Kelly knows about the house, but he said I am more than welcome to continue to live with them while I do the renovations."

That made sense, Brett thought to herself. This house was going to need a lot of renovations. However, when it was done, Matt would have a beautiful home. Then a thought hit her. Why was Matt buying a 3 bedroom house? He heart rate increased, wondering if she factored into his decision at all. Her cheeks were getting flushed again, when Matt's phone rang. He quickly stepped away, talking to what sounded like a customer of his. Sylvie was lost in thought, day dreaming about her and Matt living in this house together. Just then, a voice shook her from her thoughts.

"Sylvie, that was one of my customers who is having an issue with his electricity. I am going to run over there and take a look".

He quickly tossed her a set of keys. "Here are the keys to the house. Feel free to keep looking around and let me know if think of anything else. Just lock up when you leave."

Brett caught the keys, still confused. "Matt, how will I get the keys back.."

Matt interrupted her, opening the door to his truck. "Don't worry about it. That's an extra set of keys I have. Thanks for helping me with this. I will call you tonight."

Matt closed his door, started up his truck, and was backing up to leave before a thought hit her "Did Matt just give me a key to his house?"

__________________________________________________


	5. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road of life is made up of choices that each person makes. Will the choices that Brett and Casey make bring them closer, or tear them apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the continued feedback. I hope you are enjoying this story. Won't be long until I bring it to a close, but don't be surprised if there are some twist and turns along the way.
> 
> PS. I apologize for this very LONG chapter. I just couldn't find the right place break it up at.

The next week was a busy one for Brett and Casey. Casey closed on his house. He was very proud of taking another step back into adulthood by being a homeowner. Now it would just be renovations. Brett, however, was not as happy. Not about how her and Casey were getting along, that was wonderful. Casey had promised her that he would take things slow, and he had been a man of his word about that. Brett, though, was quickly losing her resolve to the whole "slow" part of her mandate. She was even happy with how everyone at 51 received the news about her and Casey. Word had spread quickly now that Foster knew, but Brett was surprised that most people were very supportive of the two of them. She wondered if it might have something to do with everyone in the firehouse but her and Foster reporting directly to Casey and Severide. She hoped that wasn't that. Firehouse 51 was her extended family and she genuinely cared for everyone in the house. She hoped that they really did want the best for Brett and Casey.

No, Brett's frustration was coming from her roommate search. She had sent flyers about the apartment to most of the fire houses around the city and so far had only had a few nibbles. Even they few that called her were mainly asking questions, with no one so far coming to look at the place. She was down to a little over a month on her lease. Foster had already moved into her medical school apartment, even though she had another month or so left on 61. Every night, Brett would sit and look at her big empty apartment and worry. She had looked at some cheaper apartments she could afford by herself, but most were in bad neighborhoods where she wouldn't feel safe living alone. Casey had been wonderful through it all. Even when Brett freaked out about the whole apartment thing, he would just take her in his arms, hold her, and promise her that everything would work out. She appreciated his trying, but the closer she got to having to make a decision, the more stressed out and uptight she got. She just hoped she wasn't taking it out on Casey.

At this moment, she and Casey were in a booth at Molly's. He had his arm around her and she had her hand on his thigh. Casey had a beer in his other hand, but Brett had her phone in hers, scrolling through apartment listings. She prayed she would find something soon.

"See anything promising?" Matt asked her.

"Huh" she said. She wasn't even paying attention to him. Her checks blushed, and she reached over and kissed Casey's check. "I'm sorry Matt. I know I am terrible company tonight. I am just so worried about where I am going to live."

Matt had been thinking of something the last few days, and decided now was the time to bring it up. "Sylvie, why don't you just move into the house?"

A look of shock washed over her face. Was Matt asking her to move in with him?

Casey saw her expression instantly, knowing he had said the wrong thing. He needed to explain what he meant...and quickly.

"Sylvie, I don't mean move into the house with me." He said, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. A part deep within him wanted exactly that. "You asked me to take things slow and I am fine with that. I'm just saying move into the house while I am doing the renovations. I already told Kelly I would be staying with he and Kidd while I was doing them, so the house will just be sitting empty. Why don't you just move into the house, relax, and take your time finding the right place for you?"

Brett could feel her breathing come back to normal. If she was being honest with her, a part of her DID want Matt to ask her to move in with her. She knew it made no sense since they had only being dating for a short period of time, but in her heart it was what she wanted. When Matt explained himself, she understood he was just being Matt. Always a gentleman and always looking out for her. She chewed on her lip, thinking about his offer.

"Matt, that is so sweet of you to offer. I'm just not sure if that is a good idea or not."

"Well, just think about it. I know it's not the perfect solution, but I just hate seeing you so stressed out all the time. Was just trying to help."

Brett leaned in, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "I really do appreciate you offering Matt. Let me think about it and let you know, okay?"

Matt just nodded a smile on his face. Brett put her phone down on the table, deciding tonight would be better spent focusing on the gorgeous man beside her than some silly apartment.

___________________________________

Matt was at the house the next day, working in the kitchen. He had a plan for what renovations he wanted to knock out and in which order. First was the kitchen, followed by the master bedroom and bath. He had already come up with design in the master bedroom that would enlarge the closet so that it would be a walk in. After that, he would do the den, the library/nook, and then redo the hardwoods downstairs. Then, he would move upstairs and then outside. He had also come up with a plan to redo the detached garage. Since it was so far back from the house, it really didn't make sense to park in. He had designed a way he could retrofit it to be his office for his business. It would be easy to heat and cool so he could use it year round. It would also save him money each month because he could give up the two storage lockers he rented to hold all his equipment.

Matt was busy ripping the counter tops off in the kitchen when he heard a voice calling his name. He looked up to see Sylvie walking towards him. "How is it possible that every time I see her she gets more beautiful?" he thought to himself.

"Hey! How's the kitchen coming along?" Sylvie asked, coming towards the counter he was working on.

Matt bent over the counter to give her a quick kiss. "Slow right now. It will pick up when I get the cabinets out."

Sylvie looked around the house, curious as to what the finished product would look like. "What are your plans for the kitchen?"

Matt brushed some debris off his shirt. "Well, this really amazing woman I know suggested I do an island in here, so that's what I am planning on."

Brett couldn't believe that Casey was going to do something she suggested. "Really? Matt that is amazing. I'm surprised you took my idea though."

Matt was confused. "Why?"

Sylvie chewed on her lip, thinking. "Well, I don't do this for a living like you do. I was just making suggestions based on what I have seen on HGTV before."

She was just so cute, Matt thought to himself. He walked over and pulled her into his arms. "Well, Miss Brett, there is a list of things I am doing on that pad over there if you want to see what plans I have."

Brett felt like she could stay wrapped up in his arms forever. She had to admit, though, she was curious to see what his plans were. She let go of Matt and walked over to the legal pad, sitting on a ladder. Brett quickly went down the list of items Matt planned to redo, upgrade, fix, etc. After the 5th item, she noticed a pattern forming. Almost all the ideas Matt was going to work on came from her when they had toured the house.

Sylvie turned to look at Matt, stunned. Why would he use all of her ideas? She tried to find the words to ask him, but he spoke first.

"See some things you like?" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Matt," Sylvie said, still not comprehending what was happening. "All these ideas are mine?"

Matt shrugged his shoulders, looking down and dusted some wood chips from his jeans. "Why mess with brilliance?".

Sylvie could feel her checks turn red, embarrassed by his compliment. "They were only my suggestions. You do this for a living. I am sure you have some better ideas than I do."

Matt looked back at her, an earnestness in his eyes. "Babe, every idea you had was spot on. Most matched what I was thinking to a T. Some of them, though, were even better than I had come up with. You really have a good eye for this kind of thing Sylvie."

Sylvie felt a huge smile come over her face. He called me "Babe." He had never used any type of cute name like that before with her. As a matter of fact, it hadn't been too long ago when he only called her Brett. Sylvie could feel herself falling faster and faster for this amazing and generous man who stood before her. In the blink of an eye, she made a decision.

"Well Matt, if you think I have such a good eye for this kind of thing, than the least I can do is to help you with the remodel. I mean, I am going to be staying here while I look for another place." Sylvie was sure her face was going to hurt in the morning from smiling so much.

Matt's eyes got big, hearing her accept his offer. He rushed over and took her in his arms. Brett looked up at him, and drew him into a long, deep kiss. "Too bad I haven't moved my bed here yet." she thought to herself.

_____________________________________

The next day at shift, Brett gave notice to her apartment complex. There was no reason to stay there if she wasn't going to renew her lease, she thought. Why not go ahead and get over to Casey's and start helping him with the remodel. It was the least she could do for him going out of his way to help her. In less than a day, she felt all of her anxiety melt away and she was back to her happy self.

Matt knocked on the door to Severide's quarters. "Hey, do you time tomorrow to help me move Brett's stuff over to the house?"

Severide looked over at his friend. "Man, when you move fast Casey, you move fast!"

Matt shook his head, realizing he should have explained the situation first. "It's not like that. Sylvie has been having trouble finding roommates or a new place to live, and she can't afford to live in her apartment by herself. I just told her she could crash at the house and take her time looking for a new place."

The stupid grin on Kelly's wouldn't go away. "So you're telling me you didn't ask her to move in with you?"

Matt chuckled. Leave it to Kelly to try to get him to admit something that wasn't ready to yet. "No, I am not living at the house yet, remember. That is, unless you are kicking me out of the loft?"

Severide waved his hands back an forth. "No Casey, stay as long as you want. But just answer me this question. When the house is ready and Brett is still there, are you really telling me you will want her to move out?"

"Well, I didn't say that now did I?" Casey said, blushing, while turning to walk back to his office, listening to Severide laugh the entire time.

_________________________________

It was 3pm, and Casey and Severide had just finished moving the last of Brett's stuff into the house. Matt had told her to just move her stuff into the master bedroom, and he would come back and remodel that as the last thing downstairs. Brett was giving Kidd the 5 cent tour of the house, telling her what Matt had planned for different rooms.

Kidd looked over at her friend, happiness exuding from her. "Brett, this house is awesome. You seem to really be at home here." She wanted to see what her friend was really thinking.

"Stella, it's really not like that." Brett replied, fidgeting with her watch. "Casey just knew how stressed I have been trying to find place to live, so he offered to let me live her until I found something. It was really just Matt being the nice guy he is."

"Oh yeah," Kidd replied. "Hermann is a nice guy, but I couldn't see him buying a new house and letting me live there before he and Cindy did?"

Brett continued playing with her watch thinking. Has this been a back handed way of Matt asking her to move in with him? He had given her a key to the house before he officially owned it. She wondered if her moving here was some part of a master plan Matt had that he had not told her yet.

"Kidd, I really think you are reading too much into this" Brett replied, trying to reassure herself as much as Stella.

"Maybe so Brett. But let me ask you one thing. If you still haven't found an apartment by the time Casey has finished renovating this house, do you think he is going to want you to leave?"

Brett looked down at the floor deep in thought. She worried her friend was asking the wrong question. Would SHE want to leave this house knowing that she could live with Casey?

_________________________________

The girls ordered pizzas, while Matt and Severide looked around. Severide had helped Casey out on projects in the past, and Matt was hoping his friend would be willing to do that again with his own house. After Kelly had looked around the house, he looked over at Matt. 

"Well, I can definitely see why you bought this place. Once you do what you are talking about, this house will be perfect. Not to mention how much more it will be worth than what you paid for it."

"Thanks Kelly. I think so too. Any chance you might can help me out some when you have time?" Matt didn't want to push his friend too hard. He only wanted him to help when he had nothing else to do.

"Of course. I can come over here some nights when Stella has to work at Molly's. Going to cost you some beer though." Kelly's smile was genuine. Of course he would help his friend. He knew Matt would welcome the opportunity to return the favor one day.

"That's great. I really appreciate it. Just whenever you have free time though. Don't ever feel obligated to help."

The guys then went and joined Kidd and Brett on the floor for dinner. It was pizza and beer tonight, and none of them could think of a better meal, nor better friends to have it with.

___________________________________

The next morning when Brett woke up, it took her a minute to remember where she was. She happily snuggled back up in the covers, thinking about his amazing house she was staying in. Her thoughts then shifted to the amazing man who owned it. She had lived with two men in her life. The first was Harrison, her ex from Fowlerton. The second was Kyle. Both of them had wanted her to live with them because of what they wanted. Whether that was sex, a maid, a cook, or just to know where she was at all times. But Matt was different. He could have easily moved into his own home while he did the renovations, but he didn't. Instead, he let her stay there, while he stayed somewhere else. She would have understood if Matt would have let her stay in one of the upstairs bedrooms while he took the master, but he didn't do that. He didn't want anything from her except for her to be happy and not stressed out. She wasn't sure how she got so lucky, but she wanted to make sure she knew how much she appreciated it. She decided that if she was going to stay here, the least she could do is pay him the rent she would have been spending on her apartment. That would make her feel a little better. All of the sudden, Brett heard Casey's voice yell out.

"Sylvie? You up?"

Sylvie got out of bed, walking towards the den to see him. "Hey Matt, good morning." she said, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

Matt sat there looking at her, stunned. All she had on was a t-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. Matt had never seen her dressed in anything so revealing before. He felt his pulse quicken, taking in the beauty that stood across the room from him.

Brett wondered why Casey's face had a strange look to it. She then looked down, thinking maybe she had spilled something on her shirt. Only then did she realize what she was wearing. She immediately turned 2 shades redder than her normal embarrassed look. 

"Matt, I am so sorry, I didn't even think about..."

Matt just chuckled, still taking her in. "Sylvie, it's fine. You are staying here. If anyone should be sorry it would be me. I just need to remember to ring the doorbell next time."

Sylvie looked back at Matt, still looking at her. She couldn't quite put a finger on what he was thinking, but she sure knew what his eyes were saying. Feeling emboldened, she walked right over to him and pulled him into a deep kiss. She felt his hands pull her into the kiss. After a few minutes, Matt broke the kiss. 

"Sylvie, that....that's a wonderful way to start the morning." Casey knew he was on a slippery slope right now. All he wanted to do was pick her up and take her back to her bedroom. However, he reminded himself that she wanted to take things slow.

Sylvie smiled, a wonderful smile that came from her heart. "I agree. In fact, that is something I think I could get used to." A part of Sylvie wanted Matt right there in the den. She knew she had asked him to take things slow, but her resolve was fading quicker than she expected. There was something about the way he looked at her. No one had EVER looked at her like he did. It gave her a confidence that she didn't know she had. It made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him. She found his gaze very intoxicating.

Matt spoke first, trying to calm himself. "Why don't you go get dressed and you can help me with this kitchen?".

"Sure" Sylvie replied. "Let me go take a quick shower and I will be right out."

As soon as she left the room, headed to the shower, Matt put his face in his hands. Great, the only image that was going to harder to get out of his mind, more than the outfit she just had on, was here in the shower.

____________________________________________

Sylvie and Matt had been working for a few hours when they took a break. Matt looked around at the progress they had made. Having Sylvie there had been a big help. She didn't know exactly what she was doing, but she took directions well and was a quick study. They decided to grab a quick lunch, and then Matt wanted to take her to the hardware store for her opinions on appliances. Matt opened his truck door for her, before walking around and getting in his. There conversation to the fast food restaurant was mainly what color appliances to go with in the house.

"For my money, just go with stainless steel. I know they have all those new colors, but to me, those look the best." Brett offered.

Matt nodded his head in agreement. "I think you are right. Sylvie, you really do have a good eye for this type of stuff. I might have to start getting your input on some of remodel jobs."

A beaming Brett was happy for the rest of the day, knowing that someone like Matt valued her opinion that much.

________________________________________

Two days later, everyone was in the bullpen eating lunch. After the news came out about Brett and Casey, Matt started to eat in the bullpen more often than he used to. He and Brett made sure to keep the PDA to a minimum, to be respectful of everyone else, but they normally ate lunch and dinner together every day. Then at night, if they didn't have any calls, Brett would sit in Casey's quarters with him. They would talk about the house, what they wanted to do for their next date, and also just catch up about their day. When Brett wanted to sleep though, she always went out to her bunk. She didn't want any one at 51 wondering if she and Matt were having sex while at work. Therefore, Matt never closed the door to his quarters while Brett was with him, and they never laid on his cot together. Both of them agreed early on that would be the best thing for them and everyone else at 51.

Casey was eating some spaghetti that Ritter and Galo had made, listening to Mouch tell a horrible joke that he couldn't remember the punch line to. Brett couldn't stop laughing, until her phone ringing interrupted her merriment. She looked down and saw it was Scott calling, and showed the phone to Casey so he would know she was going to take it. She quickly stepped outside towards her vehicle, and hit the answer button. 

"Scott, how is my little angel of a sister doing today?"

"Sylvie, this isn't Scott. This is Teresa. Teresa was Scott's cousin who mostly watched after Amelia when Scott was at work. She and Brett had babysat Amelia on a few of her trips to Rockford. Luckily for Scott, Teresa didn't any kids, and her husband made pretty good money so she stayed home. She was Scott's go-to baby sitter whenever Brett wasn't there.

"Hey Teresa, how are you?" As soon as Brett spoke, a thought crossed her mind. Why was Teresa calling from Scott's phone?

"Sylvie...it's Scott. Something's wrong." Teresa said, her voice cracking.

"What's going on?" Brett asked, her worry growing.

"I don't know all the details. I was baby sitting Amelia today while he was at work. I heard a cell phone ringing from in the kitchen and knew it wasn't mine, because I had mine in my hand. I saw it was Scott's and thought he had just forgot it, so I answered it. It was someone from his office. They said something had happened to him while he was there, and he was on his way to the hospital in an ambulance. I'm so sorry to bother you, but I wanted you to know."

Brett could feel an uneasiness growing inside her. She knew that they would not have transported him by ambulance unless something caused the paramedics to worry about his health.

"Okay Teresa, thanks for letting me know. Call my cell as soon as you hear something okay?"

"I will" Teresa replied, and then hung up.

Brett sat on the bumper step of Ambo 61, thinking. She knew she shouldn't worry until she heard back from Teresa, but she had a feeling something was going on. All of the sudden, she saw Casey walking towards her.

"Everything okay Brett?"

"No." Brett replied, her eyes getting watery from worry. "That was Scott's cousin Teresa. Something happened to Scott today at work, and he is on his way to the hospital by ambulance."

Casey looked at Brett, fearing she would start crying at any minute. He sat down on the step beside her. "Do you know anyone at the hospital there you can call?"

Brett shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "No. None of Scott's family that I met have anything to do with health care, so I don't have any connections there. I don't know why, Matt, but I have a bad feeling."

That was all Casey needed to hear. He had learned a long time ago to trust the instincts of his people. And Brett was no exception. If she had a bad feeling, so did he. "Let me go talk to Bodden and I will see if we can leave early." Matt then got up and started walking towards the door.

Brett called out to him. "Casey that's not necessary. I can just drive down after shift tomorrow if I need to."

Matt turned back, looking at her. "Sylvie, if you are worried, then I am worried. You aren't going to be any good this shift while you are thinking about Scott and Amelia. And I definitely am not going to be any good worrying about you. Let's just see if we can get clearance to drive down there and see how things are."

Brett slowly nodded her head in affirmation, watching Casey head to see the Chief.

___________________________________

In 15 minutes, they were heading out the door. Bodden didn't think twice, telling them to leave. He put Hermann in charge of 51 and called in a floater for 61. Brett and Casey had gotten their stuff thrown into their bags, and were now in Casey's truck.

"Do you want to run to the house and pack a bag?" Casey asked Brett, who was looking out the passenger's side window.

"No, I would just like to get there as soon as we can if that's okay?" Brett replied softly.

Matt reached over and took her hand in his. "Whatever happens Sylvie, we will get through it."

Brett smiled back at Casey as he turned to get on the interstate. If she wasn't so worried, she thought, the fact that he was saying "we" to everything would have been very sweet. Instead, she prayed the whole 90 minutes there that Amelia wouldn't lose both of her parents in a year.

__________________________________

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Matt went up to the ER admissions desk. "We were wanting to check on the status of Scott Ferguson."

The nurse looked at her computer screen. She could see the Chicago Fire Department emblem on Casey's shirt, and asked, "Are you a family member sir?"

Casey shook his head. "No ma'am, I'm not, but this is Sylvie Brett and she is his step daughter." Casey knew he was pushing the limits on the family relationship, but technically Sylvie was his step dad, though unconventionally.

"Ma'am, is that correct?" The nurse asked Sylvie, who she could tell had been crying.

Sylvie just shook her head yes. 

The nurse's tone became more gently. "If the two of you will have a seat, I will see if I can find someone who can give you an update."

Sylvie and Matt sat in the plastic waiting room chairs. Sylvie looked around, wondering why more of Scott's family weren't in the waiting room. She was thinking about calling Teresa. "She has not called me once on the entire way here with an update" Sylvie thought, frustrated. Just then, a doctor came into the waiting room. 

"Ferguson family?" he called out.

Brett and Casey stood up, Casey's arm tightly wrapped around her shoulder.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Templeton." the doctor said, shaking Casey's hand. He motioned them over to a empty corner of the room. "Mr. Ferguson suffered a heart attack before he got to the hospital. While in route, he flat lined once, but the paramedics were able to revive him."

Brett's tears began to flow freely now. "Is he okay?'

The doctor took off his glasses, rubbing his nose. "He is in stable, but critical condition. We won't know the exact damage that was done to his heart until we can run further tests on him." The physician saw the paramedics emblem on Brett's jacket, and knew he could speak honestly. "Ma'am, the next 12-24 hours will be the key. If he can show signs of improvement, then, we begin to become more hopeful. But.."

"The risk is he throws a blood clot or has another massive heart attack and doesn't survive" Brett said, finishing the doctor's thoughts.

"Exactly. This next day is probably the most important of his life. We just have to hope that there are no more, well events, that cause us more complications." the doctor said as gently as he could.

Brett understood, looking at the doctor. "Thank you for your time. We appreciate the update."

The doctor was needing to get back inside. "You're welcome. If you will leave your contact information with Nurse Fleming, I will make sure that someone calls you with an update as soon as we have one."

After the doctor left, Brett turned and hugged Casey. He held her while she cried. After a few minutes, she had started to calm down. Matt looked down at her. 

"What do you want to do now?"

Brett could only think of one thing. "I want to go see Amelia. I want to see my sister."

___________________________________

As soon as Casey pulled up in front of Scott's house, Brett was out of the truck and running for the house. All she wanted to do was to hold Amelia. She glanced back at Casey, almost as if she was apologizing for leaving him. Casey just waved her on, as he got their bags out of the back of the pickup.

Brett got to front door an opened it. As soon as she stepped inside the home, she say Amelia in Teresa's arms. She quickly walked over to her sister. Teresa sensed what Brett wanted, and handed Amelia over to Brett. Brett wrapped the small infant in her arms, tears running down her face. "I am here Amelia....I'm here."

Teresa quickly turned when she heard the door open again. Casey had just walked in, carrying their bags. Teresa walked over to Matt, offering her hand. "Hi, I'm Teresa, Scott's cousin."

Matt took her hand in his, shaking it. "Hey, Teresa. I'm Matt."

Teresa could see Casey looking directly past her, to where Sylvie was holding her baby sister. Teresa tried to smile, and turned back to Casey. "I will tell you one thing, that little girl loves her big sister."

Matt just stood there, taking in how Brett was with Amelia. He had never actually seen her hold her sister before. Matt could feel a warmth come over him at the love she had in her eyes. He could instantly tell that Sylvie would make a wonderful mother one day. His thoughts were interrupted, when he realized Teresa was talking to him.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Matt asked sheepishly.

"I just wanted to know what news you had on Scott. I haven't heard anything since I called Sylvie. I didn't want to have to find someone to watch Amelia, so I just stayed here."

Casey filled Teresa in on the latest with Scott's condition, and how the next 12-24 hours would be the most crucial. Teresa slowly shook her head. "I appreciate the update Matt. I am going to head home now. I will make sure I let all the family know what is going on. If you hear anything else, please let me know okay?"

Matt promised her he would, and watched her walk over towards Brett. She gave Brett a half hug, told Amelia good night, and made sure Brett knew to call her if she needed anything. After that, Teresa left, patting Casey's shoulder on the way out.

_____________________________

Once Teresa was gone, Casey walked over and sat down beside Brett. Sylvie's tears had dried now, as her worry vanished at the sight of her little sister in her arms. Sylvie looked at Matt, apologizing. "Matt, I am so sorry I just ignored you like that. It's just.."

Matt waved off her apology. "Sylvie, don't worry about it. I completely understand." He glanced down at Amelia, whose eyes were wide looking at her big sister. "Would you like to introduce me to Amelia?"

A smile formed on Brett's face. She scooted closer on the couch to Casey, and softly spoke to the baby. "Amelia, this is Matt. He is a very important person in my life, just like you are."

Sylvie blushed at her own words, and glanced at Matt who was smiling at her. "Would you like to hold her?"

Matt nodded his head, so Sylvie gently handed her sister to him. She was about to tell him what to do when she remembered Matt had fostered Louie. He probably knew more about kids than she did, she thought.

Matt took the young baby in his arms. Amelia immediately looked into Matt's eyes, a sense of wonder passing over the little one's face. Matt whispered to her, "It's so nice to meet you Amelia. My name is Matt. I have heard a lot about you from your sister."

A small smile appeared on the baby's face, generating bigger ones on Casey and Brett. "I think she likes you." Brett said, placing her hand on Casey's shoulder.

"I hope so," Matt replied, "because I can definitely see why you love her so much. She is just beautiful Sylvie."

Sylvie smiled, taking the baby back. Casey got up, telling her that he was going to call Bodden with an update. Brett quickly checked Amelia's diaper, and then stood up and started walking around the house with her. Brett felt weird being in Scott's house without him. She knew though, that Scott would want her here watching over her sister until he got back home. "I hope your Dad is going to be okay." Brett said softly to her sister.

Matt walked back in a few minutes later. "I let Chief know what was going on. He said to just keep him apprised of the situation, in case he needs to get floaters for us next shift. Sylvie was about to say something to Matt about him not needing to stay with her, when he got up and walked into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, seeing what contents it held. He turned back to Sylvie smiling. "Why don't I make us some dinner?"

Sylvie smiled her appreciation back at him. "That would be great Matt." Matt had turned back to get some items out of the fridge when Brett spoke again. "And Matt," she said, seeing him turn to face her, "thank you for everything today. I don't know how I could have done this without you."

Matt hung his head briefly, before walking over to the two sisters standing in the middle of the den. He gently bent down and kissed Brett's lips. He then placed a gentle kiss on Amelia's head. "Sylvie, we are in this together. No matter what happens, okay?"

Sylvie quickly nodded her head as he turned to head back to the kitchen. She didn't know what she had done to deserve this man, she thought, but she was sure going to thank God tonight for him when she said her prayers.

_______________________________________

They had just finished a wonderful meal. Matt had made her breakfast for dinner, and she hadn't realized just how hungry she was until she could smell the food being prepared. Amelia was in her bouncy seat on the floor between. Neither of them had really spoken much during dinner, both lost in their own thoughts. After they finished eating, Matt cleaned the table, and washed and dried the dishes. Sylvie had offered to help, but he shooed her away, telling her to go spend time with her sister.

Brett sat down on the floor next to Amelia, who was currently lying on her back on the carpet. Sylvie laid down beside her, tickling her sister until the baby's laugh came bursting out. Sylvie forced a smile for her sister's benefit, but she couldn't stop her mind from going in a million different directions. What was she going to do if Scott wasn't alright? Before Scott decided to take Amelia, Brett had pretty much decided she would adopt her sister. Could she still do that? What would Matt think if she did? If she had to take her sister, where would she live? These thoughts and thousands more were running through her mind at the same time.

All of the sudden, she felt Matt's hands on her shoulders, slowly kneading the muscles. She let out a small moan, not being able to help herself. His massaging hands felt so good. She hand't realized how tense she was until Casey started working on her shoulders. She let her head slump down, lost in his touch.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"You have no idea" she replied, feeling like he could put her to sleep if he continued.

"Good." Matt replied. "I could tell you were lost in your thoughts. I also know how you sometimes over analyze things, so I figured you could use something to take your mind off of everything."

How did he know she was having all these thoughts, she wondered. She was quickly understanding that Casey knew her better than she thought he did. She couldn't help but smile at the thought. He really had been there for her every time she had needed him, and today was no different. She turned her head, and brought his lips to hers in a long kiss.

All of the sudden, a foul aroma started to drift up to their noses. Matt looked down, only to see Amelia happily giggling, obviously proud of herself. They both laughed at the little girl. "I will go get her cleaned up" Sylvie said, picking her sister up while she stood.

"Okay" Matt replied. "If you will tell me what room you normally sleep in, I will put your bag up there."

"Second door on the left" she replied, walking her sister back to the nursery. Just then, a small thought popped into Brett's mind. This house only had one guestroom.

______________________________

They had just put Amelia down in her crib. She had taken a full bottle, had a clean diaper, and would hopefully sleep most of the night. Sylvie started walking towards the den, her exhaustion from the day catching up with her. Matt could sense her tiredness, as he was feeling it too. Between the drive, the wait at the hospital, and then the baby, the day's emotions were starting to take their toll. Matt turned to look at Brett.

"Babe, why don't you go in your room and get some rest? I know today has been hard on you."

Brett smiled back. "But where are you going to sleep?" She knew that neither of them wanted to sleep in Scott's room. The thought unsettled her and she imagined it did for him too. 

"I'll just sleep on the couch." Matt said, turning to look at it.

Brett knew how terrible that couch was to sleep on. She couldn't do that to him. Besides, what she really wanted was him to sleep with her. To hold her. She was worried her thoughts of everything going on would keep her from sleeping.

"Matt?" she asked.

Casey turned to look at her, while he took his shoes off and sat on the couch. Man, he thought his cot was hard. This couch was like a piece of plywood. "Yeah babe."

"Would you mind...and you don't have to. But I was wondering if you would sleep with me tonight?"

Matt's eyes shot up, causing Brett to chuckle. "Not like that Matt. I just don't want you to have a back ache from sleeping on the couch." She looked down at her feet, trying to think of how to tell him what she wanted. "Besides, I am not sure if I will be able to sleep tonight with all that is going on. But having you there with me might help. Does that make sense."

Matt got up from the couch and pulled her into his arms. "Of course that makes sense Sylvie. I would do anything to take this worry off of you."

Brett returned his smile, and they then walked towards the guest room. The guest room Sylvie always used when she stayed had a queen size bed in it. Plenty big for her, but she wondered if it would be big enough for both of them. If she was being honest with herself, she wanted Matt to hold her until she feel asleep. As soon as she got in the room, though, she realized a problem. They had left so quickly from Chicago and she didn't want to stop and get a bag. Therefore she had nothing to wear. And if that was the case, neither did Matt. She felt her heart racing, thinking of being in bed with him in some stage of undress, because she certainly wasn't going to sleep in her uniform.

"Uh Matt, I think we might have a problem." she said, her teeth already chewing on her lip.

Matt could see Sylvie chewing her lip. When she was nervous, she always did that. Or she played with her watch, or did something with her hair. What could she be nervous about. He then looked at the bags at their feet and thought he might just understand.

"We don't have anything to sleep in right?" he asked.

Sylvie nodded her head, unsure what to do next. Matt quickly came up with a plan.

"Sylvie, I will go outside and you get comfortable and get under the sheets. Just tell me when you are ready and I will just come back and sleep on top of the sheets in my uniform. I do it all the time at work so it won't be a big deal"

She didn't want that. For her to be comfortable and him not. "No, I will do what you said but before you come in, you get comfortable. Then grab a blanket from the hall closet and that way you won't be cold when you sleep on top of the sheets"

Matt nodded his acceptance to her plan, leaving her alone in the room. As she got out of her uniform, she cursed herself for being so childish. "Would it have been so bad for both of you to sleep in the same bed for one night?", she thought. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. On the contrary, she trusted him explicitly. He had been nothing but a gentleman, and when she said she wanted to take things slow, he had not done one thing to try to push her boundaries. 

Sylvie got down to her panties and blue CFD shirt and climbed into bed. She called out, as softly as she could so she didn't wake Amelia, that she was ready.

When Matt entered, she tried not to stare, but failed miserably. All he had on were boxer briefs and his white undershirt, carrying a blanket he had retrieved prior to coming. He quickly laid down on the bed beside her, pulling the blanket over himself to keep him warm.

"Goodnight Sylvie." Matt said, getting comfortable on what now seemed like a small bed.

"Goodnight Matt." Sylvie replied. She could feel her cheeks blush at a thought, and decided to give in to it. "Matt, would you mind holding me until I go to sleep?"

"Babe, I will hold you anytime you want." He replied, wrapping his free arm around her waist.

Sylvie was asleep within minutes, with Matt not far behind her. The closeness they were sharing in the bed was new for both of them, but they comfortably fit together. At one point in the night, she briefly woke to find Matt laying on his back with her hand draped across him. She immediately feel back asleep, thinking how nice it would be to do this every night.

_____________________________________

The light shining into the bedroom roused Brett from her dreams. She couldn't remember exactly what she was dreaming, but knew Matt had been part of it. She felt his side of the bed, only to find it empty. She turned over and looked at the alarm clock. 7:23am. Brett's fear immediately took hold of her, worrying that she had slept so hard she hadn't even heard Amelia. Her sister would sometimes sleep the whole night, but if she did she would have woken up long ago Brett quickly hopped out the bed and ran down to the nursery, only to find the crib empty.

Brett turned and ran towards the den, stopping only when she got there. There, on the recliner, were Matt and Amelia. Matt had kicked up the foot of the recliner so he was laying back, with Amelia on his chest. He had a blanket over the two of them, and the two of them were sleeping peacefully. 

Sylvie could feel her heart explode, almost like it was growing bigger. If she had been unsure about her feelings for Matt, she wasn't any more. The image she had just witnessed was burned into her mind as one of perfection. Casey, big and strong, gently sleeping with her sister. A part of her hoped that one day she might see the same image, with Matt holding their own child, but she tried to shake that thought from her head. They had only been together for a little under two months. Why was she thinking about things like that when they were so new into their relationship?

Brett softly walked over to the two of them, gently placing her hand on Matt's shoulder. She could see his eyes flutter open, adjusting his view to her.

"Hey" he said groggily. "What time is it?"

Sylvie gentle pushed her hand through Amelia's hair. "About 730. How long have you been out here?"

"I heard her crying about 6 I think. You were sleeping so good I didn't want to wake you." Matt replied, not believing she could be this beautiful every morning. "I got her up, got her changed and fed, and then we laid down here. I didn't even realize we had fallen asleep."

Sylvie bent down, and kissed his lips. "Do you want me to take her so you can go back to bed?"

"No," he said, "I am good. Been a long time since I have been able to hold a baby. I did think of something this morning though."

"What is that Matt?"

"Well, since we left in a hurry, I realized this morning that we don't have anything. No change of clothes, no toothbrush, pretty much nothing we need to do. So, you have two choices."

"What are those?" she said smiling, knowing he had already been planning how to address this problem.

"Well, first option is I drive back to Chicago and back us up some bags with everything we need."

Brett didn't like that idea. She didn't want Casey to have to drive another 3 hours round trip today. Besides, she wanted him with her. "And what is option two?"

"We get dressed and run to a department store."

___________________________________

An hour later, the three of them were headed to Target. Luckily, Scott had an extra car seat at the house, so Brett was in the back seat with the baby while Casey drove. The sun was shining brightly today, so Sylvie had her hand over the baby's eyes shielding her from the glare. They had also thrown Amelia's stroller in the back so they could use it while they shopped. Brett was beginning to get a little worried. It was almost 9am now, and she had not gotten an update on Scott from the hospital. While Matt was driving, she called Teresa to see if she had heard anything, but only got her voicemail.

Casey pulled his truck into a parking space in front of the massive building. He got out, pulled the stroller from the bed of his truck, and opened it up. He then opened the door for Brett and Amelia. The baby quickly went in the stroller, while Matt and Sylvie began walking to the entrance. Matt pushed the stroller while Brett walked beside him. Brett knew she had previously had some doubts about Casey wanting children. However, seeing the way he was with her sister, she quickly dismissed them. She knew Casey had been a great Dad to Louie, and she knew now that he would be an amazing Dad to his children in the future. She quickly glanced over at him, taking him in as they walked. He had this look to him. This look that said he was completely comfortable with both Amelia and Sylvie. She could feel her pulse quicken, thinking back to last night and how he had held her. She wasn't sure the last time she ever slept so good. There was something about Matthew Casey that made her feel safe, protected, and cared for.

As they entered the red and white store, Sylvie got a buggy. She knew that, unfortunately, if they were going to stay in Rockford for a few days, they were going to need a lot of things. In retrospect, she should have let Casey take her back to the house so she could pack a bag. She just felt the need to get here as soon as possible. They started into the store, immediately heading to the toiletries aisle. Casey bought some deodorant and a toothbrush, while Brett did the same. They agreed on a brand of tooth paste to share. While Casey was looking at something else, she quickly walked over to get a hairbrush. For some reason the one she normally carried was sitting in her locker at 51. Just then, and elderly woman walked up to her.

"I just wanted to tell you what a beautiful family you have.", the stranger said to Sylvie.

Sylvie started to protest, until she saw Matt coming around the corner with Amelia in his arms. She thought about being honest with the woman, but finally just decided to take the compliment. "Thank you ma'am. I am very blessed."

The older woman patted Sylvie's arm, and then made her way towards another department. Casey was looking at Brett, with a strange expression on his face. "What was that about?" he asked.

Sylvie turned to him, her face beaming. "Oh nothing. She just said I had a hot boyfriend." Sylvie immediately knew Matt didn't believe her, but he let it go, as he threw his head back and groaned. Brett, though, would think about the word "family" as it related to Matt the rest of the day.

___________________________________

Their cart full, Brett and Casey entered the check out line. They had both picked out a few changes of clothes and underwear, and figured they had enough to get them through their stay. If nothing else, Sylvie mentioned, they could do laundry if they needed to.

As the cashier rang up their total, Brett was surprise to see how expensive this trip had been. She had just started reaching for her purse when she realized Matt had already swiped his credit card through the machine reader. She looked at him sharply. "Matt, you don't have to pay for everything. Remember, you are doing me a favor just by being here with me."

Casey just shrugged his shoulders, chuckling back at her. "Sylvie, one day soon you are going to realize that I like doing things for you. The sooner you accept that the better." 

Brett just shook her head. She was used to taking care of herself. Yes, she had friends that would help her out from time to time, but she never relied on them. Matt, on the other hand, almost wanted her to rely on him. She found herself thinking that could become very easy to do.

After they checked out and had gotten back to the truck, Sylvie suggested they run through a drive thru somewhere and get lunch. She knew that Amelia was going to either be hungry or tired soon, and she wanted to get her home before that. 

In her mind, Brett gave them the time it took to get home before she was going to call the hospital for an update.

____________________________________

After Brett fed and got Amelia down for what she hoped was going to be a nap, she saw Casey bringing the last of the bags into the house. "I am going to call Teresa really fast and she if she heard anything." Sylvie said.

Matt nodded his head. "Yeah, I am surprised we haven't heard anything from the hospital yet."

Brett smiled to herself. Casey was using the term "we" more and more. She found that every time he said it, she would fall deeper and deeper for him.

Dialing Teresa's number, Sylvie waited to see if she would pick up. She was a little surprised Teresa hand't returned her voicemail from this morning yet.

"Hello" Teresa answered, clearly upset.

"Teresa, it's Sylvie. Are you okay." She could hear the woman on the other end of the line sniffling.

"Oh Sylvie. I think you need to get to the hospital as soon as you can. We just saw the doctor and it doesn't look good.

Sylvie immediately hung up the phone and turned to Matt. "I need to get to the hospital. Something has happened to Scott."

Matt quickly got the keys for his truck out of his pocket, standing up. "Okay, let's go." he replied.

Sylvie quickly shook her head. "Matt, I need you to stay here with Amelia. I don't want to wake her up to take her to the hospital.".

"Are you sure?" Matt asked, not completely comfortable with Brett going alone if there was a chance for bad news.

"Yes please" Brett replied, taking Casey's keys. "Is it okay if I take your truck?"

"Sylvie, of course. Go. Call me as soon as you hear anything. When Amelia wakes up I will call an Uber and we will come to the hospital too."

Sylvie gave Matt a quick kiss, and was out the door. "Dear Lord, please don't let both of my sister's parents die.", she prayed on the way to the hospital.

_________________________________________

Matt had been pacing the house for the better part of an hour, waiting on news from Sylvie. Just then, his phone rang. He quickly answered it.

"Hello Sylvie?"

"No man, this is Kelly. I was just calling to check on you two. How is everything?

Matt took a breath. "Severide, I honestly don't know. Scott was stable yesterday when we got here, and the doctor said today would be the most important day. Sylvie got a call about an hour ago telling her to come to the hospital, so she is there. I am still at the house with the baby. I am just waiting on an update from her."

"Matt, I am so sorry." Casey replied, hearing his friend's helplessness in his voice. "Is there anything you need Stella and me to do?"

"Not right now, but I appreciate. If you could call Bodden and give him an update, that would be great."

Kelly didn't hesitate. "Will do. Let us know the minute you hear anything."

Matt hung up the phone and thought about calling Brett. He didn't want to interrupt her, and honestly wasn't sure she could even get a signal to take a call in the hospital. He decided he would give her 15 more minutes before he called her.

Matt had no more than set the phone on the couch when it rang again. He quickly turned the phone over, seeing Sylvie's face on the Caller ID. He immediately answered it. "Sylvie, are you okay? What is going on?"

All he heard was the sound of her crying on the other end. He knew then that he got his answer.

________________________________________

Sylvie returned to the house about 2 hours she left. As soon as she walked into the house, Matt hugged her, feeling her let go of all the emotions. She cried, sagging in his arms, to the point that he worried he might drop her. Instead, he fell to his knees with her, not letting her go. She cried for a 5 full minutes, before he could hear tears easing. "Sylvie, I am so sorry."

Brett didn't respond, just nodded her head. She went from her knees to sitting on the floor. Matt sat down beside her, brushing her hair, wet with tears, out of her face. He just waited in silence until she said something.

After a few minutes, Sylvie looked over at Matt, "Scott was doing better they thought. And then this morning, he had another heart attack, only this time worse. About the time I called Teresa, he had just coded. By the time I got there, they were talking to Teresa about organ donation." 

Matt couldn't imagine what Brett was going through. First, she loses her biological mother not long after meeting her. Now she loses Scott. All of the sudden, something clicked in Matt's mind. 

What is going to happen to Amelia?

Brett got up, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "Teresa told me that she and her husband, John, will take care of planning the funeral. She said that there should be a will somewhere here in the house. She said he had just got it updated after Julie passed away." All of the sudden, Amelia started crying. Sylvie looked indecisive, like she wasn't sure what to do first. Matt gently placed his hand over hers.

"Sylvie, you go get Amelia. I will look around for the will."

Brett had fed and changed the baby, and was back in the den rocking in the recliner by the time Matt came down the hall. In his hands, he held a manila envelope, with the words "New Will" on it. Matt looked at Brett, unsure what to do with it.

"Matt, can you please open it and read it. I'm not sure I have the strength to do it." she said, tears forming in her eyes again. In truth, the only thing she cared to know from the document Casey had was what would happen to the angel that she was currently holding. She had decided on the way back from the hospital that if Scott wanted her to take Amelia, she would. She wasn't sure what it would mean for her and Casey, but she knew it was what she had to do.

Casey opened the envelope, pulling the document from its secure place. It was only 3 or 4 pages long, he guessed. With one last look at Brett, he started silently reading what the document said. He knew that Brett could care less about any money or property Scott might leave her. The only thing Sylvie would have wanted to know is what would happen to Amelia.

Casey had just finished page 1, and was turning to page 2 when he saw it. Scott had noted if anything happened to him, he wanted Sylvie Brett to take Amelia. If Sylvie refused or couldn't take the baby due to some incapacitation, then Teresa would be the second in line for the little girl.

Casey knew instantly that by reading this document, Sylvie's life was going to change overnight.

He looked at Brett, catching her gaze. All he had to do was nod his head, and she instantly knew what it meant. Amelia would be hers.

_____________________________________

The next few days were a blur. Casey left the next morning to head back to Chicago. He first went to Kelly's loft and packed several items, including a black suit, white shirt, and black tie and dress shoes. He then drove over to the house and went into the master bedroom. He Face Timed with Brett, while she told him what items he wanted her to bring back with him. Amelia was on her lap, and Casey got to make some funny faces to try to make the baby smile. Succeeding, he asked Brett if she had heard from Teresa yet. After having gone through the Louie adoption process, he feared Teresa might challenge the will in court. He didn't want Brett to have to go through what he went through. Brett said Teresa was coming over that afternoon to talk to her. Casey said he would try his best to be there before the other woman got there, but he wasn't sure if he had enough time. Right before they hung up their video call, Brett said something that stuck with Casey the entire way back to Rockford..."Matt, come back to me."

Matt got back to Scott's house as fast as he could. When he pulled up, he saw Teresa's car already there. He prayed she just go there, but as he walked to the door, she was leaving. Matt didn't know what to do, so he hugged her, and apologized for her loss. Teresa looked straight at Matt. "Matt, you have one heck of a lady in there. If I were you, I wouldn't let her go." Teresa started walking to her car, before she called out over her shoulder, "I will see you at the funeral."

Matt rushed into the house, to see Sylvie sitting on the couch, tears pouring down her face. Casey rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her. Brett literally hugged him back like her life depending on it, needing to feel his strength to get her through this ordeal. After several moments, Matt sat down on the couch and asked, "How did it go?"

Sylvie was fidgeting with her watch, which Matt knew wasn't a good sign. He swore right then and there that he would fight Teresa with everything he had so that Brett would not lose Amelia again.

"It went well," Brett replied, trying to wipe the tears from her face. "She said she understood why Scott would want me to take Amelia. I told her that she can come see Amelia any time she wants."

Matt breathed a sigh of relief at the news. "Did anything else happen?" he asked.

"Not really, we talked about the funeral she has planned for the day after next. We also talked about the will. Scott left everything else but Amelia to Teresa, but she said that I can take anything I need out of the house to help me get set up to bring Amelia home."

"That was really kind of her" Matt replied. 

"Yes it was." Sylvie took a deep breath. She had been thinking about something ever since Casey had left that morning. She decided now was the time to say what she felt like she had to say.

"Matt, I know that none of this is what you signed up for when we started dating. Trust me, I understand that. So, I have decided that when we get back to Chicago I am going to find another place to live. It isn't right for me, and now Amelia, to invade the home you just bought." Sylvie, sniffled, trying to hold back her tears. She silently prayed for strength to get through the next part. "I also know that we haven't been dating that long. I am sure you didn't expect a baby to be in the picture when you asked me out, so if you want to end things and us just be friends, I will completely understand."

Brett wasn't sure how she got the whole thing out without falling apart. She had practiced over and over since he had been gone. None of what she just said was what she wanted. She wanted him. She wanted to keep seeing him. She didn't want anything to change. But she knew she had to at least give HIM the option. Matt had been so good and decent to her this whole last year, it was the least she could do. To give him an out if he wanted it. Brett felt her body start to tremble, as she waited for his reply.

Matt sat there, shocked. Was that really what Brett wanted? For him to let her go and they go back to being friends. He couldn't do that. They had come too far. He could see a future with Sylvie and if Amelia was part of that future, even better. There was nothing she could say or do that would make him run. He knew right then that he was in love with her. He also knew that now wasn't the time to add one more thing onto her plate. Casey closed his eyes, took a breath, and looked deeply into Brett's eyes.

"Sylvie, I'm not going anywhere. I am crazy about you. I don't care if you have Amelia or not, because I am crazy about your sister too. And, if you think you are going to move out of the house when we get back, than you are sorely mistaken. You are going to need all the help that you can get taking care of that little angel and I am going to be there with you every step of the way, or until you tell me you don't want me there."

Brett, for once in 3 days, felt tears of happiness stream down her face. All she wanted to do was to tell him that she loved him, but she knew now wasn't the time. She was just thankful that he wanted the same things she did. She pulled him in, kissing him, before wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you Matt. You don't know what it means to me that you just said what you said. I am crazy about you too."

That night, Brett didn't care about who was under the covers and who was on top. She wanted him under the covers, holding her, all night. She wanted to feel the warmth of his body next to hers. And if she was being honest with herself, she wanted him to make love to her. She knew, though, the last one would have to wait for a more appropriate time.

______________________________________

After the funeral, Brett and Casey, along with John and Teresa, loaded all of Amelia's things in the back of Casey's truck. They said their goodbyes to John and Teresa, with renewed assurances that they could come see Amelia any time they wanted. Brett quickly loaded Amelia into her car seat, and then hopped in the back seat with her. She still wasn't comfortable with her sister being back here by herself. Casey got in the front, turning to look at the two beauties behind him. With a smile, he turned and pointed the truck towards Chicago.

They were almost to the house when Casey looked in the rear view mirror. Brett had slept for most of the ride, as had Amelia, but they were both up now. "Sylvie, I meant to tell you something the other day.

Brett gazed at the back of Casey's head, still marveling over how she was so lucky to have him in her life. "What was that?"

Casey did a quick glance backing, catching Brett's eye for a second, before turning his attention back to the road. "I hope it was okay, but I called Cindy Hermann when I was on my way to Chicago."

Cindy? Why would he have called her she wondered.

"She used to watch Louie for me when I had to work, so I wanted to check and see if she would mind watching Amelia too."

Brett smiled. Yes, she could have been mad at Matt for over stepping and trying to solve her problem, but she just couldn't. It was so like Matt to try to do anything he could to take care of her. It made her happy that he wanted to do the same with Amelia.

"What did she say?" Brett asked. If Cindy could watch Amelia it would be a huge help, she thought. She hand't even considered what she would do with Amelia when she went to work. And she had to go back to work.

"Babe, she was ecstatic. She said she would love to watch her for us."

Brett looked down at Amelia, a smile on her face. There Matt had gone again, being all cute, she thought. First it was him calling her babe, then using the word us. She leaned down and whispered to her sister, "Amelia, you don't know how lucky you are Matt is in our lives but I have no doubt you will find out very soon."

_______________________________

As soon as they got to the house, Brett took Amelia in and they sat down on the couch. Casey had been thinking while they were sleeping on the ride here, and he had an idea he wanted to try out. Matt quickly unloaded the crib from his truck and carried it up the steps and into the house. He took the crib and set in the small library/office that was across the house from the master bedroom. Matt figured it would be perfect. It would allow Brett to rest, but still have her close enough to get to Amelia within a few seconds. Brett and Amelia walked up behind him while he was arranging the crib.

"Matt, I love her nursery being in here. It is the perfect size."

"Yeah," Matt replied proudly. "and I think the rocking chair will be perfect in that corner."

Sylvie nodded her head, smiling at her boyfriend. "Boyfriend...wow I like the sound of that." she thought to herself. She glanced up a Matt, leaning in to give him a quick kiss. 

"Obviously you have an eye for design too." she said to Casey. "Just put everything where you think it should go."

Matt nodded his head, walking back towards the truck to get more items.

"I will just change it if I need to" Brett thought, laughing to herself.

______________________________

An hour later, Matt had all of Amelia's items put away in the nursery. He looked over at the kitchen, knowing that Brett was going to need it done as soon as possible now that Amelia was with her. Casey looked down at the time on his phone. It was already 6pm. He knew that he needed to get Sylvie something to eat. Outside of water, and some things in the refrigerator, she didn't have anything here. He made a plan to run out tomorrow at shift when he had time and buy a microwave for them. She would need something to warm up Amelia's bottles and right now all she had was an old stove. 

Brett sat in the den, Amelia in her lap, looking at Casey. He was deep in thought, his forehead wrinkled like it did when he was planning something. In truth, Brett was planning something too. She had loved waking up in Casey's arms the last two mornings, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for them to start sleeping together. What she did know, though, was that having him around had made life so much easier for her, and Amelia too. She tried to summon the courage to tell him what was on her heart.

"Matt?" she said, her voice catching at the words.

Casey quickly turned to see Brett and Amelia. They looked so perfect. If anyone didn't know, they would think Brett was the mother of the beautiful little girl she was holding. He took a second, taking in the sight, before answering. "Hey, do you need something."

Matt's response gave Brett the opening she was looking for. She took a VERY deep breath, and prayed that he would say yes. "Actually I do. Matt, I need you to move into one of the upstairs bedrooms and help me take care of Amelia."

A look of confusion spread over Matt's face. "Where did that come from?", he thought. Sylvie never ceased to amaze him, and the fact that she was comfortable enough with him to ask him that, only made him care for her that much more.

"Well, " he said, rubbing his jaw. "Yes. I would love to." A smile quickly formed on his face. "And If I am being honest, I was going to talk to you about the same thing tonight."

Later than night, after Casey had moved all of his stuff into one of the upstairs bedroom, he sat on his bed thinking. Brett was already downstairs asleep, as was Amelia in her crib. He wasn't sure how he had gotten so lucky, but he couldn't be happier to be in the same house as the girls he adored downstairs.

___________________________________________

The next morning, Brett and Casey dropped Amelia off to Cindy. Casey wasn't sure if he had ever seen Cindy this happy. It was obviously infectious, as Amelia gave Cindy the biggest smile.

"You two don't worry. This little one and I are going to have the best time while you two are gone." Cindy said, taking Amelia into her arms, while rubbing her nose on the baby's.

"Cindy, thank you so much for doing this." Brett said, marveling at how quickly her sister was taking to the older woman.

Cindy looked back at them, shooing them away. "Anytime. Now you two head on or you will be late".

The shift dragged on for both Casey and Brett. They were both missing Amelia, as well as being able to hold each other any time they wanted. 

"7 am can't come fast enough." Brett said to Casey, while lying down on his cot.

"I couldn't agree more." Casey replied. 

Just then, Brett's phone rang. She picked it up, seeing it was her Mom calling. She had't had a chance to call her since before the funeral, and was sure her mom was wanting to check and see how the first night with the baby went.

Brett his the answer button. "Hey Mom. How are you?"

"I am fine, Sylvie, how are you?"

Brett knew she could tell her mother ALMOST anything, and decided to not try to hide her feelings. "Well Mom, right now Casey and I are really missing Amelia."

Carol Brett chuckled on the other end of the phone. First, Matt had taken her daughter to Rockford, staying with her the entire time. Now he was missing Amelia too? She knew the question she had to ask, hoping Brett would be honest with her.

"Honey, are you and Matt living together."

Casey saw Brett's expression change. She gave him a quick look while motioning she was going to talk in private. Matt nodded back, while Brett got up and started walking towards the bunk room.

"Mom, it's not like that. Casey knew I was going to need help taking care of Amelia, so I asked him if he would move into one of the upstairs bedrooms and help me." Brett hoped her mother didn't ask her any more questions.

Brett's mother thought about her daughter's admission, knowing she needed to check on that. Herself. "Well that's nice of him. Sounds like he is really trying to help Sylvie. I have got to run now, but will you text me the address to your new place? I want to send some things to you that I thought you might could use?"

Brett gave her mother the address, thanked her, and returned to Matt's office. If her mother only knew how much she wanted Matt in her bed instead of upstairs, she probably would have had a different reaction.

__________________________________________

After shift was over, Casey and Brett rushed over to Hermann's house. Matt stood by the car, while Brett went to get Amelia. She knocked on the door to the home, wanting to hug Amelia as soon as she could.

Cindy opened the door, with Amelia in her arms. The baby reached her arms out for Brett, something that made caused Sylvie's heart to explode in love. "Hey my little one. Were you good for Cindy?"

Cindy just laughed, picking up the diaper bag and handing it to Brett. "She was a perfect little angel. We had so much fun together."

Brett pulled her purse out, looking at Cindy. "Cindy, thank you so much for doing this. How much do I owe you?"

Cindy pushed Brett's purse back at her. "You, my dear, do not owe me anything. Just having a little baby in my arms again was payment enough."

Brett couldn't understand. "Cindy, please let me pay you something. You had her for over 24 hours."

Cindy looked at Brett, and then past her to Casey, who was leaning against his truck. "Well" she said. "There is one thing you could do for me."

"Anything." Brett replied.

Cindy looked at the woman standing before her, Amelia on her hip. "If you want to repay me, you can keep Matt as happy as he is right now."

Brett's face showed her shock. She turned and looked back at Casey, who quickly threw up a hand to the three of them.

"Cindy..."

The older woman patted Brett's shoulder. "Sylvie, I have known Matt Casey for a long time, and I have never seen him as happy as he is when he is with you. I saw it at the wedding, and I can see it now, how he is looking at you from outside. If you promise to keep Matthew happy, then I will be happy too."

Brett gave Cindy a hug, promising her that she would. Sylvie and Amelia started walking towards the truck.

"What was that all about?" Casey asked, having seen the looks back his way.

"Oh nothing" Brett replied. "Just girl talk."

______________________________________________

As soon as they got home, Brett told Casey to go get some rest. She had been able to sleep more than he had last night. Besides that, having Amelia in her arms had knocked any tiredness she felt away. They had agreed that Casey would rest first, and when he got up, hopefully both Brett and the baby would take a nap together. Matt knew he needed to do some more work on the kitchen. 

Casey had been asleep for a few hours while Brett and Amelia played on a mat on the floor of the den. All of the sudden, Brett heard a light knocking on the door. She quickly got up and walked over to it, her shock evident immediately evident. On the other side of the glass door was her mother.

Brett quickly opened up the door. "Mom, what are you doing here?" she asked, wondering what was going on. 

Carol wrapped Brett up in a hug. "Well, I know how difficult it is having a new baby in the house, so I thought I would come and check on the two of you." Brett's mother was looking around at the house, taking it in. It definitely needed a LOT of work. "Now where is Amelia?"

Brett walked into the den, picking up her sister, and handing the baby to her mother. Her mother's eyes went wide, noticing the resemblance to Sylvie. "Hey there little one." Carol cooed. "How are you doing this morning."

They all sat down on the couch, looking at Amelia. "Sylvie honey, you look tired." Carol said, concerned for her daughter. 

Brett looked at her mother, trying her best not to roll her eyes at her. "I am fine Mom. Matt is asleep right now and when he wakes up, I am going to try to get Amelia down so I can take a nap."

Carol looked around the downstairs. "And just where is Matt right now? I would like to meet him."

Brett's eyes went wide with realization. Now she knew why her mother was here. She was checking up on her to see if she and Casey were REALLY living together. Just then, Matt came down the stairs in sweat pants and a t-shirt, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

As soon as he hit the bottom step, his eyes went wide. "Who is this woman in our house?" he wondered.

Brett stood up. "Matt, I would like you to meet my Mom, Carol Brett"

Casey looked at Brett, taking in the words. Was he still dreaming, he wondered for quick second. He decided he couldn't be, so quickly walked over to Brett's mom, holding out his hand.

"Mrs. Brett, it is so nice to meet you." Casey said, shaking the mother's hand.

Carol replied. "It is nice to meet you too Matt. I have heard a lot about you from Sylvie."

Matt smiled, running his hand through his hair. "What do you think about Amelia?" he asked.

Carol turned to look at the baby in her arms. She rubbed Amelia's tummy. "She is just a perfect angel. I can see why she has the effect on people that she does."

Matt didn't know what she meant by that, but he walked over, taking Amelia from Carol. Amelia's eyes widened at Matt looking at her.

"Mom, why don't I give you a quick tour." Brett said, hoping to diffuse whatever situation was happening right now. Brett took Carol around the downstairs, making sure to point out that the Master Bedroom was where she slept. Along the way, Brett also pointed out plans Casey had for fixing up the older home. As they made their way upstairs, Brett saw her mom paying very close attention to the room Casey was sleeping in. Carol, having confirmed for herself that Brett was telling her the truth, turned to her daughter.

"Sylvie, you and Matt seem to be moving very quickly. Are you sure that is a good idea?"

Sylvie took a breath, thinking. "Mom, it's not like that. Yes, we are dating and I am crazy about him. But he really did only move into the upstairs bedroom to help me with Amelia."

Cindy nodded slowly. "Sylvie, just let me say this and I will be quiet. It's a lot different for a man to be dating a woman, than to be living with that same woman and her child. I just don't want you to get hurt."

Brett understood her mother's concern. Part of her wanted to tell her mom about giving Matt an out to their relationship and Amelia, but decided not to. She knew how she felt about Matt, and she was pretty sure Matt felt the same way about her. Even with that, there was the smallest shred of doubt, buried deep into her heart. If something happened to her and Matt, how would she recover?

Carol stayed the next few days with them. Matt moved to the couch, giving up his bed for Brett's mom. Sylvie could see that Matt was starting to grow on her Mom. Carol could see the way Matt treated both Amelia and Sylvie, and was beginning to understand what her daughter saw in him. Carol watched Amelia during the next shift they had, leaving after they got home. Both Sylvie and Matt were surprised when Carol hugged him too before leaving.

As her mother drove away, Brett turned to Casey laughing. "Well Matt, looks like you have the same effect on all the Brett women."

_________________________________________________

The three of them stayed up most of the morning. They took turns rocking Amelia, knowing the little one needed a nap based on the feedback from Carol. They final got the baby down for what they hoped would be a long nap. Sylvie told Matt she was going to take a shower and then crash. Matt had let her know that he was probably just going to crash. 

After Brett got out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her and went to pick up her phone, but it wasn’t there. “Where is my phone?” she wondered. She quickly realized that she left it in the den. She walked out to the den without thinking. As soon as she reached for her phone, she felt a presence in the room with her. She quickly turned around, only to find Casey drinking some orange juice directly from the jug. She immediately noticed his eyes become wide. “Did I scare him?” she wondered to herself, only then realizing that all she had on was a towel.

Matt couldn’t have taken his eyes off of her if he wanted to. She was beautiful, standing across the room in a towel, her hair still wet from her shower. He felt his pulse quicken, knowing that the towel was probably the only thing she had on.

Sylvie could feel Matt’s eyes boring into hers. She searched them, trying to figure out what he was feeling. She quickly realized that his thoughts matched hers. Desire. Longing. Summoning whatever strength she could find, she walked over to him. Before he realized what was happening, Brett stood on her tip toes, bringing her lips were to his. She let her hands wander behind his neck, pulling him deeper into their kiss. When they broke, Matt quickly stuttered.

"Sylvie...I'm so...."

Brett took her index finger, placing it on his lips to quiet him. She then reached down, took his hand in hers, and led him to her bedroom.

__________________________________________________

An hour later, Sylvie rolled off of Matt, exhausted. She laid on her back beside him, a sheen of sweat covering her body. She couldn't contain her smile.

She glanced over at Matt, who eyes had not left hers the entire time. "Oh my God!" she thought to herself. Making love to Matt had been incredible. Better than she could have ever dreamed, and she had been dreaming about it for a while. He had taken his time, loving her slowly and gentle, over and over again. Nothing had felt rushed between them, and they had each lost count of the number of times they had gotten the other off. At times, Sylvie wondered if Matt was somehow hard wired into her brain, as he seemed to know exactly what she wanted, when and how. It was like they were each trying to please the other as much as possible.

Matt leaned over, kissing Sylvie softly. He was sure that he had never experienced anything like what he just experienced with Sylvie. With anyone. There were moments, when Matt actually thought the two of them might become one. Their bodies were joined together, eyes locked on the other's, and at times he swore their souls were in rhythm. He had resisted the urge several times when he was looking into her eyes, to tell her those 3 little words that were coming to mind every time he thought of her.

Just then, Brett heard Amelia through the baby monitor. She thanked God that her sister had slept through what had just happened, allowing her to experience Matt any and every way she wanted. Matt put his hand on her shoulder. 

"Sleep babe. I will take care of Amelia."

Brett kissed him once more before he got out of bed, marveling about the body of her lover. Matt quickly threw on his jeans and t-shirt, before heading to go get her sister. Brett laid her head back on the pillow, instantly missing the feel of Casey's body next to hers.

"Well," she thought to herself. "If I wasn't sure I was in love with Matthew Casey before, I do now."

_______________________________________________

Casey and Brett got out of his truck, heading to shift holding hands. Brett had been dreading this day, as it was Foster's last one of Ambulance 61. She was going to miss her partner and friend. They had developed a really good chemistry over the last year, and Sylvie was not looking forward to having to go through the whole process again with a new paramedic. She was also not looking forward to not being able to see Foster almost daily like she had gotten used to.

Casey looked over at Brett, lost in her thoughts. He knew what she was thinking about. She had talked to him about her fears last night after they made love. She was happy for Foster, but worried about what a new partner would be like. Matt leaned over and gave Brett a kiss on the check. "Babe, be happy for Foster. Everything will work out for you I promise."

Brett smiled back at Casey, appreciating his words. "Be happy for your friend." she reminded herself.

As everyone filed in for roll call, Brett knew the chief would say something about this being Foster's last day. They had also planned a going away party for her at lunch today. Brett sat beside Kidd, willing herself not to cry when the Chief started.

FIRETRUCK 81, SQUAD 3, AMBULANCE 61. AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT AT INTERSECTION OF LINCOLN AND SYCAMORE.

Brett looked up quickly at the Chief as she stood up. Chief was looking at Severide and Casey at the back of the room with a worried look on his face. Brett quickly turned and saw Matt and Kelly returning the same look to the Chief.

"What is going on?" she thought, as she ran towards her vehicle.

_______________________________

All three of Firehouse 51's vehicles came to a stop, blocking the road from any traffic getting through. Bodden hopped out of his Explorer, looking around first, then at the accident. There were two cars involved, with one car looking like it had been t-boned by the other one at an intersection. Chief stated barking orders.

"Casey, watch the gasoline leaking on that car." he said, pointing to a red sedan. "Brett, Foster, check on the occupants of the black car."

The two paramedics ran over to the car. There were three occupants, two adults in the front, and a young girl in a booster seat in the back. It looked like the child's door had taken the brunt of the impact.

"Severide!" Brett yelled, "We're going to need your help getting in the back seat. Foster went to check on the two adult passengers in the front seat, seeing that both of their air bags had deployed. 

"Cruz", Severide yelled, "bring the jaws." Kelly Severide could immediately tell this wreck was going to be a bad one. The back doors of the black car were caved in, and he immediately guessed that they would not open on their own. 

Brett was leaning in through the car's window, seeing if she could reach the child, who couldn't be more than 4-5 she thought. She got her hand on the girl's throat, feeling for a pulse. She could feel one, but very weak. She felt an immediate sense of dread come over, while she looked at the child, who had blood coming from her ears.

"SEVERIDE!" she yelled.

Kelly and Cruz were right behind her. She stepped out of the way and saw that Foster had made her way over to the other car, and was placing a C collar on the driver's neck. 

Cruz fitted the front of the jaws of life into an opening in the door, and hit the hydraulics. The jaws started opening, slowly and without stopping. "Come on, come on." Sylvie whispered to herself. She saw Matt looking over at her, a concerned expression on his face. She turned back towards the car, right as the door flew open. "Go" Cruz yelled to her.

Brett was in the back seat in a flash, wrapping a small C collar around the small child's neck. "Hey sweetie, can you hear me?" Brett asked while doing her initial assessment. Foster poked her head into the backseat.

"What do you need partner?"

Brett looked back at Emily, a worried expression on her face. "Grab the backboard and a gurney. I am not sure how much time we have."

As soon as Foster was back with the requested items, they slowly extracted the child from the booster seat, laying her flat on the hard yellow plastic of the backboard. They then lifted the backboard and placed it to the gurney, wheeling the child towards the back of 61. Brett had just started working on the child when all hell broke loose.

____________________________________

Bodden and Casey both heard the sound first, looking at each other to make sure they agreed on what it was. The look on both man's face told the story. Gunshots.

Bodden unfortunately knew what to do, having experienced this before. "EVERYBODY TAKE COVER!" He yelled, diving towards his vehicle, with Casey not far behind him. 

Everyone on 51 hit the ground, crawling towards safety underneath the fire truck or squad vehicle. The gun fire was intensifying now, seeming to be coming from all around them.

Casey quickly looked around, trying to find Brett. He hadn't been able to see where she took shelter at. The last place he had seen her was at the back of the ambulance. Casey, determined to find out where she was and to make sure she was safe, got onto his knees so he could see better. It took him a second, because he couldn't believe his eyes. There she was, still standing by gurney, working on the child from the accident. "What is she doing" he thought to himself, his fear rising from within. 

Casey immediately knew he had to get to her. He could hear police sirens in the distance, but knew there was no time to waste. There were too many bullets flying, and she was standing right at the back of the ambulance, right in the line of fire for anyone behind them. Matt knew in an instance what he had to do. He put one foot underneath him, and started to run towards her. She was only 10 to 15 feet away, so he knew he could reach her. Casey felt a bullet go past him two steps in, much too close for comfort. He was closing the distance quickly now. 

Brett was still working on the child, doing CPR trying to get a pulse back. She had heard the Chief order everyone to take cover, but she couldn't leave this child...this poor innocent child, without trying everything within her power to save her. She heard the shots ringing out, but kept working, praying that this little girl would be okay. She looked down at the child's face, seeing an expressionless face looking back at her. "NO!" Brett yelled to the heavens. Just then she heard someone call her her name.

She turned to see Matt, running as fast as he could towards her. She was about to say something when she saw Casey dive toward her. She felt his body hit hers, and felt his hands pulling down on her shoulders.

The force from Casey's dive knocked both of them to the ground, with Brett flat on her back. She had hit the back of her head on the asphalt, feeling her anger rising. Casey had rolled off of her, and was laying flat on his back beside her. 

"How dare he!", she thought, seething at him in her mind. Why on earth would he try to keep her from trying to save the life of that little girl. That poor little girl. That could be Amelia one day. She could hear the police sirens almost here, and the sound of gun fire had stopped. She pulled her elbows underneath her, ready to give Casey a piece of her mind. She didn't care if Bodden disciplined her or not. What Casey had done was wrong and she intended to tell him so. 

She looked over at him, ready to lay into him. The scene she saw, though, shook her to her core.

The only thing that anyone from 51 heard was Brett's blood curdling scream.

"CAAAAASSSSEYYYYY!"


	6. Could this be it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey and Brett have spent the last month or so overcoming their fears, learning to trust one another. Can one decision unravel everything they had achieved?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I appreciate the kinds comments and kudos. My tale is nearing an end, with only this chapter and an epilogue left. I hope you enjoy!

Brett felt like time was standing still. She was laying there, flat on the ground with her elbows supporting her, looking over at Matt. She couldn't understand what she was seeing. She could feel herself losing control. Her tears were streaming down her face and she could no longer control the trembling of her own body. How had this happened?

Chief Wallace Bodden was less than 15 feet away from Brett, laying on the ground in front of his Fire Department issued Ford Explorer. He had seen the whole thing happen. The gun fire had stopped, as there were police cars now seemingly all around them. Bodden looked to the right of Brett and could see Casey laying flat on his back. The scene he witnessed made his voice catch in his throat. He keyed the radio microphone that he had strapped to his chest, saying the only thing that had to be said.

"FIREFIGHTER DOWN! FIREFIGHTER DOWN!"

Emily Foster had taken cover underneath Ambulance 61. She was just coming out from under the vehicle when she heard Casey's name being called. She got to her feet, immediately running to the sound of Brett's voice. She arrived to where Casey was laying on the ground at the same time Bodden did. Bodden took one look at his Captain. He groaned, almost to himself, "Oh my God."

When Foster looked down at Casey, the first thing she saw was blood. Everywhere...Blood. She immediately went to work on Casey. "Casey, can you hear me?"

Matt Casey was laying there, looking at the sky above him. He wasn't sure he had every seen a sky as blue was what he was witnessing right then. He saw a face come into view, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Sylvie...".

"She's okay Casey, she's okay." Foster replied, trying to find the source of the blood.

Knowing Brett was okay, Casey relaxed, his eyes fluttering before closing. 

Brett was trying to get Casey's turnout coat off him so she could see what was going on. "BRETT, HELP ME." she screamed at her partner. Brett, though, didn't respond. She was still in the same position, not having moved since Foster arrived. The tears streaming down her face looked like they would never end, and her friend was shaking like she had just jumped into an ice cold lake.

By now, the rest of 51 were running over after hearing Bodden's call on the radio. Severide and Hermann got their first, with Kidd closely behind.

Bodden looked at the blood on the ground. So much blood. Bodden said a prayer before making a vow to himself. "I am not losing another firefighter." he thought. He immediately made a decision. He took one more look at Brett, knowing she would be of no help.

"Kidd, you are driving 61." Bodden screamed. "Severide, Hermann, let's get Casey in the ambulance. Let's go, let's go!"

Kidd immediately ran to take control of the ambo. Hermann grabbed Casey underneath his arms while Severide got his feet. Foster was doing the only thing she could think of. Applying pressure to Casey's wound. Hermann walked back into the ambulance first, followed by Foster. Just as Severide was getting ready to get into the vehicle, he heard a voice behind him.

"KELLY!" Bodden yelled, quickly shaking his head no. Severide was about to say something to his Chief, but instead closed the ambulance doors, slapping on the back of them. That was the sign Kidd was looking for, as she put the vehicle in gear, turned on the lights and siren, and floored it.

Bodden turned quickly, looking for some of the police officers that had showed up. Luckily, some of them had wondered over to see what was going on. Bodden didn't care if the police officers were his men or not. Right now he needed their help. "You two!" Bodden commanded, "Go with that ambulance! I don't want it stopping until it gets to Med." The two officers looked at each other, not sure what to do. Their mind was made up for them, when they heard the Chief yell, "NNOOOOWWWW!" 

The two officers ran to their car, got in, and with lights and siren blaring, took off to catch the ambulance like their careers depended on it.

Bodden turned back, looking at the rest of his men standing before him. Galo, who was looking down at the blood splattered asphalt, quickly turned and ran over to the sidewalk before vomitting.

"Severide." Bodden commanded, throwing his Lieutenant the keys to his car. "You are taking Brett to Med in my car." Kelly ran over, getting in the drive's seat. Bodden knelt down beside Brett, who hadn't moved the entire time.

"Brett, I need you to get in my car." The Chief said to his PIC. No response. Bodden knew the young woman was in shock and needed to get to the hospital. Bodden tried again, using his normal Chief voice. "Brett, I need you to get up with me NOW!"

Brett's eyes slowly moved toward the Chief's, but that was it. "Screw it." Bodden said to himself. He put one arm around her, and literally picked her up and walked her to his buggy. He shoehorned her into the seat as best as he could, then reached across and buckled her seat belt. He was just closing the door when he uttered the words Severide had been waiting for. "Kelly go!". That was all that Severide needed and he was off to get to Med as fast as he could.

Bodden looked back at the remains of 51, standing on the street. "Let's get this accident cleared so we can get to Med. Let's go, let's go." The men of 51 did as they were told, though each one knew that none of them wanted to be there.

___________________________________________

Kidd was sure she was breaking every CFD rule about ambulance driving, but she didn't care. She knew that right now, minutes counted. She reached for the ambulance's radio to call ahead to Med. What she saw sent a chill down her spine. The radio was destroyed, an easily discernible bullet hole sitting in the middle of it. She then reached for her hand held radio, hitting the call button. "Chief, I need you to call Med and tell them we are coming."

Kidd was shocked to hear Kelly's voice respond. "Will do Kidd." was all he said. Right now, she didn't have time to wonder why Kelly answered instead of the Chief.

In the back of the ambulance, Hermann was sitting on his knees, watching Foster work. Casey was laying flat on the floor of the ambulance. No back board, no gurney, nothing. Since Brett wasn't here, nothing was happening to Casey except for what came from Foster's hands. He had been saying prayers since they got Casey into the vehicle, and he decided he wasn't going to stop until he got to talk to his Captain again.

Foster was feverishly trying to stop the bleeding. She knew Casey had lost a lot of blood, quickly worrying if it might already be too much. She had been able to see that a bullet had gone both through and out of Casey's left side. She tried to force her brain to think back to med school. She was almost sure she had read about something like this before. Just then, it hit her. She took a deep breath, and then stuck her gloved index finger into the bullet hole and into Casey's abdomen. She used her finger to feel around, praying she would feel something. All of the sudden, her finger could feel something pulsing. She prayed she was right, placing her index finger on the pulsing object, hoping that was she was feeling was the pulsing of blood coming out. 

It only took a few seconds, but Emily could start the see the flow of blood slow down. "Now," she thought to herself. "We need to get to Med now."

____________________________________

When Kidd saw the lights of Med, she hoped with all she had that they had gotten them there in time. When she pulled up, she was amazed. It looked like the whole ER Department of Chicago Med was waiting for them. Before the ambulance even came to a full stop, Dr. Will Halstead was opening the back doors. What he saw made his insides churn. There was Casey, laying flat on the floor, blood everywhere, with Foster on top on him. He immediately knew every second counted and grabbed Casey's feet. Hermann saw the doctor's actions, and he again lifted Casey. They started to get Casey out of the ambulance, with Foster's finger still inside of him. 

They put Casey on a gurney, and the whole group moved as one unit towards the sliding glass doors of the ER. "Foster," Halstead asked, "tell us what we have."

Foster wiped the sweat off her forehead with her free forearm. "GSW to the abdomen, through and through. Lost a lot of blood on scene and in route."

Halstead glanced down at Foster's finger inside of Casey, immediately knowing what the paramedic was doing. "Foster, don't you dare move your finger. You keep pressing on it."

As soon as they got Casey to Exam Room 5, the flurry of activity only increased. One nurse was putting an oxygen mask on Casey, while at the same time another was putting on a blood pressure cuff. Yet another nurse was cutting off Casey's turnout gear as fast as possible. Multiple doctors were all screaming out orders, almost to no one. "Cross and type 8" said one, while another yelled, "We need that chest X-ray. All of the sudden, one nurse yelled above the rest. "DOCTOR HALSTEAD!" Will turned around to see a nurse, standing by the bank of monitors, pointing to blood pressure read out. 

"Damn it." yelled Halstead into the air. Casey's BP was low. Dangerously low. "Okay everyone, we are moving to the OR NOW. Someone page Dr. Kwon STAT!"

The whole group that had just come in, all started to move towards the elevator bank. The operating room was three floors up and Halstead hoped they had enough time. Right as the elevator doors opened, Halstead looked at Foster. "You're doing great Emily. Keep it up."

Emily Foster was bound and determined not to take her finger off until she was instructed by a doctor to. "Casey please be okay." she thought to herself, the whole elevator ride up.

__________________________________

As soon as the mob with Casey had entered the building, Christopher Hermann looked to the sky. "We really need you on this one big guy." he said to the heavens, right before he made the sign of the cross on his body. He walked towards the driver's door of the ambulance. Kidd was still there. Her knuckles had turned white due to the grip she had on the steering wheel. Almost as if in a trance, her eyes were locked onto 61's shattered radio with the bullet hole in it.

"Kidd, come on out." Hermann said to his co-worker and friend. Kidd didn't move.

Hermann understood, having seen this before. He took a step up into the driver's door, and placed his hand on Kidd's shoulder. "Stella, you did good. You got us here as fast as you could."

Stella turned slowly to look at Hermann, his forced smile evident. She let Hermann help her out of the vehicle at the same time another skidded to a stop behind them. Kidd and Hermann both looked to see the Chief's SUV. Severide jumped out on it, running over to Kidd who jumped in his arms. They held each other for a minute, with Kelly using one hand to grab Hermann's shoulder. They were all in this together.

Severide let Kidd go and started walking back to Wallace Bodden's vehicle. There, in the passenger's seat was Brett, sitting there almost like a statue.

"Brett." Kidd yelled, running over to her. Sylvie didn't even turn at the words of her friend. Kidd looked back at Severide. "She hasn't moved the entire way here Stella." 

At that point, Kelly took matters into his own hands. He moved Stella out of the way, unbuckled Brett's seat belt, and lifted her out of the vehicle. Severide then carried her into the ER with Kidd and Hermann right behind them.

Less than 40 minutes later, the rest of 51 showed up to join Kelly, Stella, and Christopher in the waiting room. Chief knew there wouldn't be an update yet. It was too soon. He walked over to a corner, took his phone out, and called the one number that he knew could help them.

_______________________________________

Brett was laying in the bed, when Dr. Amy Wilson and her nurse Beverly came in to see her. Seeing the woman's jacket, Wilson knew immediately that this woman was a paramedic. "Hello, um Paramedic Brett. How are you doing?" the doctor said to no response. The doctor ran a couple of quick tests, checking Sylvie's reflexes, and ran her pen light back and forth over Brett's eyes. All the tests confirmed what Dr. Wilson knew when she walked in the door. This young woman was in shock. 

"Nurse, 25 ccs of sedative. Also, I want you to put her on a saline drip and run oxygen to her." The nurse heard the instructions and immediately started to work. Amy Wilson leaned over Brett, wanting to try one more thing. She quickly pinched Brett's bare arm. All of the sudden, Brett responded, looking over at the doctor. 

"Paramedic, I am Dr. Wilson. You are at Chicago Med. Do you know what happened?"

Brett's eyes still weren't focused, but Dr. Wilson was sure she could hear her young patient saying something. She bent down closer to Sylvie's mouth, listening intently. Just then the sedative kicked in, and Brett's eyes closed.

"Who is Matt?" the doctor asked, to no one in particular.

_____________________________________

Dr. Will Halstead and Emily Foster were riding the elevator back down to the ER. Foster was trying her best to get the blood off her hands. Halstead looked at her, knowing what she was thinking. "Emily" he said, getting the paramedic's attention. "You did good today. You got Casey here, so at least he has a chance now."

Foster nodded as the doors opened. She started to walk towards the waiting room when she heard Will again. "Foster, go ask one of the nurses to get you some scrubs and let you clean up. " Just as Foster was about to turn around again, the doctor added, "Emily, you are going to make one hell of a doctor."

Will walked to the nurse's station to check on a few other patients. He wanted to get his emotions under control before he went out to the waiting room. He knew it was going to be full of firefighters wanting answers, and right now he didn't have many. He took a deep breath, and started to review some charts.

________________________________

About 15 minutes later, Dr. Will Halstead pushed open the door to the waiting room. Just like he had expected, it was full of firemen, still in all their gear. He looked for Chief Bodden, and when he found him, walked towards him.

"Chief" Dr. Halstead said, shaking the commanding officer's hand. 

"Dr. Halstead. Any news?"

Halstead quickly took in the room. No one was talking, as they were all lost in their own thoughts. Severide was sitting in a chair with his head buried in his hands, while Stella ran her hand over his back. It was clear that everyone knew that this was the Chief's conversation. He would share the news with them when he was ready. Will motioned his head towards an empty corner of the room. The two men walked over there in silence.

Halstead took a breath and started. "Chief, Casey was hit with a bullet on his left side. Now luckily it exited his body, so we don't have to worry about that. The problem is that the bullet hit Casey's spleen."

Bodden felt his head drop to the floor, looking at the linoleum. He wasn't sure he could handle the rest.

"He lost a LOT of blood Chief. A lot. We didn't really have a chance to stabilize him before we took him to the OR. Spleen injuries are always tricky. The first step is for him to survive the surgery."

Wallace ran his hand over his face. For a second, he thought he might become sick. 

"The good news is Casey made it here. If he would have gotten here 5 minutes later, I'm not sure we wouldn't have lost him in transport. Foster did great. She might have bought us the extra time we needed."

Bodden nodded his head. At least he had made the right call, he thought to himself. He wasn't sure he could have lived with himself if he had made the wrong decision.

"How's Brett Doc?'

"She was in shock when she came in. We have her on a sedative that should let her body rest and reset itself back to normal." 

Halstead was just about to turn to head back into the ER, when he turned back towards Bodden. "Chief, what happened out there?"

Bodden slowly shook his head. "Gunfight erupted at a call we were responding to. Brett was standing up in the middle of it, so Casey went to pull her down. That's when...." His voice trailed off.

"That makes a lot of sense." Will responded.

"Why's that?" Bodden said, somewhat confused.

"Because the only thing Brett was saying when she came in was "Matt" over and over again.

_________________________________

All of the fireman of 51 were sitting in the waiting room, waiting for news. Just then, Hank Voight and his team walked into the ER waiting room. Voight made a beeline for Chief Bodden, while his detectives hung back.

"Chief," Voight said, shaking the other man's hand. "How's Casey doing?"

Bodden returned the handshake. "He's in surgery as we speak. He took a bullet to his side. Doc said it hit his spleen."

Voight winced at the update. Spleen injuries were always tough, at least the ones he had seen. He and Casey were certainly not friends. They had too much of a history for that. That didn't stop them from respecting the job the other one did, though.

"Casey is good people, Chief. If anyone can pull through this, it will be him." 

Bodden nodded slowly. "Hank, the reason I called you is this. Why did we get called to an intersection that is known as a battleground for turf wars between gangs? Were we set up?" Part of Wallace Bodden didn't even want to know. If this was a hit on one of his men, he wasn't sure he would be able to control his anger.

"We don't think so right now." Voight replied. "From what we can tell, the two cars that collided were from different gangs. They must have thought that the wreck was intentional, so they decided to settle it between themselves. It looks like you and your men just got caught in the middle of a shoot out."

Bodden's hand rubbed his chin thinking. "What kind of bad luck gets you called out to sit in the middle of a gang war?"

"Chief, if it's okay with you. My guys are going to get statements from your men. We want to know everything they saw and heard while they were in the field." Voight asked.

Bodden nodded his head, then returned to his chair. Casey and Brett were in the hospital and he couldn't do anything to help them. He wasn't sure he had ever felt so helpless.

_______________________________

It was almost noon when Voight's people finished taking everyone's statement. Foster had come back out to sit with them a while ago. She was just sitting in a chair, by herself. She just kept looking at her hands. Stella got up, leaving Kelly, and walked over to her friend. She gave her a hug. "Foster, Doc said you did good to keep Casey alive on the way here."

Foster tried her best to smile at her friend's kind words. What a terrible last shift, she thought. "Well Kidd, remember, I wasn't the one driving like a mad woman to get us here. That was you."

Kidd looked down at her feet. Neither one of them were in the mood to accept compliments. Not now. Not, when their best friend's boyfriend was in surgery, battling for his life.

Kidd did think of one thing. "Emily, did you see Brett while you were back there?"

Foster shook her head. "I saw her, but by the time I got down to the ER she was already out." Foster looked at her hands again. "I don't know Stella, how does she overcome this...knowing Casey got shot while..." Her words fading out, not wanting to finish her thought. She looked at Kidd, and immediately knew her friend knew what she was trying to say.

Kidd took a deep breath, saying "We just have to be there for her, for both of them, as much as we can."

__________________________________

Around 1pm, Bodden starting sending people to the cafeteria to get something to eat. "Sending might have been the wrong word", he thought to himself. "Ordering might have been better." No one wanted to leave the waiting room. Most of them had been here too many times recently First Shay, then Otis. Along the way there had been other with less life threatening injuries that brought them here. Now Casey and Brett. No one wanted to leave this room for fear that if they did, they could possibly break some cosmic string that was keeping their friends alive. So they just sat there, in silence. Praying. Thinking. 

Dr. Amy Wilson came out into the waiting room, looking for Chief. She certainly wasn't as experienced at talking to the CFD as Halstead was, but right now he was up in the OR checking on Casey. She scanned the room, found the Chief, and walked over to him. 

"Chief, I am Dr. Wilson."

Bodden shook her hand. Why was she out here and not Will?

"Chief, I am Brett's doctor. The sedative we gave her should be wearing off soon. I was wondering if she had a friend, or someone she is close to, that might make her feel safe when she wakes up. We don't want her going back into shock again."

Bodden immediately thought of Casey, and then felt his head drop. He quickly turned to Kidd and Foster. "Either of you want to be in Brett's room when she wakes up?"

Kidd was up in a flash. She looked back at Foster, sheepishly looking back at her. "Do you want to go Emily?"

Foster waved Kidd off. "No, you go ahead. I am just going to sit here for a while."

Kidd walked over and knelled down, telling Kelly what she was doing. Then she walked through the door towards Brett with Dr. Wilson.

_________________________________

Brett was still laying in the bed when Stella came into Exam room 1. She looked like a little girl, Kidd thought. The nurse had taken her uniform off of her, and she was now in a hospital gown. She way laying flat in the bed, with a single sheet over her. Stella pulled up a chair beside the bed, sat down, and took her friend's hand in hers. KIdd was not an overly religious person, but she had found herself praying the minute she heard the first gunshot. She was thankful that she and Kelly were safe, as was the rest of 51. She kept praying for Casey and Brett. She knew Casey needed more prayers than Brett because he was still in surgery. What Kidd knew, though, that most people didn't, was that if anything happened to Casey, she wasn't sure her friend would be able to recover from it. 

It only took a person seeing the way Brett and Casey looked at the each other to know that they were in love. Kidd had not seen Brett look that way with Kyle, even though her friend did her best to force herself to look that way. Now, in addition to being in love with Casey, Stella knew how much Matt meant to Amelia too. Add to that, the fact that Brett was living in Casey's house, meant he had to be okay. He had too much to live for.

Brett's eyes began to flutter open. She was initially blinded by the bright fluorescent light over her head. She was trying to figure out where she was. She felt someone holding her hand. "Matt?" she whispered.

"Brett, no it's me Stella." Kidd felt a sense of relief wash over her. "How you feeling?"

Brett's mouth was dry, and her eyes glanced around for something to drink. Kidd saw her looking, quickly grabbing the pitcher of water, pouring her friend a cup. She pulled a straw off of the moving table that was beside her, and brought the straw and cup to Brett's lips.

Brett took a sip of the cool water, and then another. What was happening was starting to come back to her. She looked over at Kidd, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Kidd, is Matt..."

Kidd's heart broke at the sight of her friend. She knew this would be one of the most difficult discussions they had ever had, but she knew her friend needed to hear the truth.

"Sylvie, Matt's in surgery. He has been for the last few hours."

Brett felt as if her tears were a waterfall that would never stop. "What have I done?" she asked Kidd, her sobs becoming louder.

Standing up, Stella wrapped her arms around her friend. "Brett, it's not your fault. The gun shots came out of nowhere." Kidd was worried her friend was getting ready to fall apart. She knew she needed to give her something to hold onto. "You listen to me Sylvie. You need to be strong right now. You need to be strong for Casey while he is in surgery. And you definitely have to be strong for that little girl you have waiting at home for you."

Brett let the tears flow, not caring anymore. "Kidd, you don't understand."

"Don't understand what?" Stella replied.

Taking a breath, Sylvie told her the truth. The truth that she didn't even want to admit to herself. "Stella, the only reason Casey got hit was because he was trying to get to me. Because I didn't obey the Chief's instructions."

Kidd took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. She wasn't sure if she was mad, heartbroken, or even in awe over what Casey did. All she knew was that right now, her friend needed her.

"Brett, don't you think like that. Right now, the only thing any of us need to focus on is Casey pulling through this surgery."

Brett looked at her friend, knowing she was right. She closed her eyes, and told God everything she wanted. For Casey to be okay.

_____________________________________________

Kidd had stayed with Brett for another 15 minutes. Minutes spent in silence between the two of them. Finally, Brett had asked Stella if she could leave so she could try to get some rest.

In truth, Sylvie was quickly losing control of everything. She had thought Casey might be the ONE. The one she would spend the rest of her life with. Even with what had happened to Scott and her taking Amelia, he didn't bat an eye or run. Even when she gave him the chance too. If anything they only had grown closer. Now Casey might not live to see either her of Amelia ever again. How could she have been so stupid? If she just would have listened to Bodden and taken cover, Matt would still be fine. 

Then Brett thought about the young girl she had been working on. She knew in her mind that they had lost her. In fact, she probably had lost her at the scene. She then thought about Christie and Violet. What would they say to her when they found out Casey was in this position because of her. She was sure they would never want to speak to her again, let alone see her. 

Brett was quickly spiraling out of control, when Severide walked into her room. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like he had been crying. She braced herself for what was to come. She balled up the sheets of the bed into her fists, gritting her teeth. If Kelly wanted to yell at her she would take it. She would take everything. He certainly had every right to scream at her. Part of her wanted to scream at herself. She had put their best friend in harm's way, for no reason.....except for her stubbornness. She quickly glanced at Kelly, waiting for the onslaught to begin.

Sitting in the chair Kidd had vacated, Kelly sat down, looking over at Brett.

"Here it comes," she thought, "what I deserve."

"How you feeling Brett?"

The confusion that showed on Brett's face was obvious. Severide wasn't sure what she was thinking, so he asked another question. "You hanging in there okay?"

The tidal wave of emotions hit Brett all at once. When Severide didn't yell at her, all of her walls came crashing down at once. She wasn't sure if she could ever be herself again. She tried to think of what to say to Casey's best friend.

"Severide, I am so....so sorry for what happened.

This time, it was Kelly's turn to have a confused look on his face. "Brett, what are you talking about?"

Taking a breath, she tried to continue. "Casey would be fine if I would have just listened to the Chief's orders." she said sobbing. "His life is on the line because of me."

Severide had already been told the whole story. How Casey was trying to get Brett to safety when he was hit. He wasn't about to let her blame herself.

"Brett, Casey would do anything for you. Don't you get that? If him taking a bullet would keep you from being hurt, that's a choice he would make every time."

Brett's voice was failing her, so she just looked up at Kelly with tears in his eyes. She tried to speak as best she could. "But Severide, everything has been going so good for Casey. He loves both of his jobs. He just bought a house..."

The sobs overtook her again. Severide knew it wasn't his place to share what he knew, but he had to show Brett how much Casey cared for her. To show her that him making the choice he did was something he willingly did. And would do again.

"Yes Brett, Casey's life has been great for the last few months. And the reason for that is you. He is crazy about you. He is crazy about Amelia too. He even changed his will to make sure that you and Amelia never had to leave that house."

Brett's tears were still coming in waves. She knew Casey was crazy about her. She was crazy about him too....Wait, what did Severide say about the house? She turned to look at him, her eyes trying to concentrate on every word he said.

"What?" Brett asked.

Severide sighed. Casey was going to be upset with him if..he suddenly let his thoughts get the best of him. No, Casey was going to be fine. Anyway, Brett needed to know this.

"As soon as you got Amelia, Sylvie, Casey changed his will. He gave me a copy for safe keeping. He left a few things to Christie and Violet, but he left everything else to you and the baby. The house, his pension, his retirement. Everything. That's how much he cares for you Brett. He never wanted you and Amelia to ever have to worry about anything again." After he finished, Kelly looked down at the floor. "Please let Casey be okay," he thought to himself. "He needs to once and for all be happy with this girl."

Stunned. Brett was stunned. Why would Casey do that? It wasn't enough that he would risk his life trying to save hers, but now he was going to leave everything to her too? She was wrestling with her emotions, deciding whether to be touched or upset. Casey didn't have to take care of her. She had told him that too many times to count. But here he was doing it again. The same way he had been all year long. She needed to be alone. Alone to collect herself. Alone to figure out her emotions.

"Severide, can you find my jacket for me? I need to call my parents and let them know what is going on."

Looking around, Kelly tried to find her blue, CFD issued jacket. Had what he just told her meant nothing? Was she still in shock? He expected some kind of response from her, but now she just wanted to call her parents? Severide didn't find her jacket, but did find a hospital bag with the phone in it. He handed it to her. "I'll go back to the waiting room and give you some privacy."

"Thanks Severide."

The entire walk back to the waiting room, Severide never stopped shaking his head in confusion.

__________________________________________

Brett took a moment to collect herself. Casey had to be okay. They had never discussed any plans for the future, but that hadn't stopped her from dreaming of them. The two of them, living in the house, raising Amelia together. Marriage. More children. Happiness. She didn't know if Casey felt the same way as she did, but in her heart, she felt like he did. She loved him. Utterly and completely loved him. She just needed him back in her arms. She said one more prayer before phoning her parents. "Matt, please come back to me."

She hit the button for her parent's house phone, almost hoping they wouldn't answer. She took a deep breath and waited.

"Hello?" her mom answered.

"Mom, it's me Sylvie." That was all she got out before the tears came again.

Carol Brett immediately knew something was wrong. "Sylvie, what's the matter honey. Are you okay."

Trying to control herself, Brett took a couple of deep gulps of air. "It's Casey Mom. He's been hurt."

Her mother quickly said a prayer, hoping he was alive. "Tell me what's going on?"

Brett could feel her body slowly getting itself back together. Her mother's calming words had that effect. She looked up at the ceiling. "Mom, we were on a call. Casey got shot trying to protect me."

Her mother inhaled loudly at her daughter's words. "Is he going to be okay? Are you okay?"

Knowing how close her mother had gotten with Casey when she stayed with them, she told her the truth. "I'm fine Mom. Casey 's in surgery." Just like that, any sense of control left her, while the tears returned.

Carol let her daughter cry into the phone. She would leave as soon as she could to get to her daughter. She knew that right now, she needed her mother there with her. After a minute, Carol spoke.

"Now you listen, Sylvie. You need to be strong for Matt. He is going to pull through this, I just know it. You also need to be strong for Amelia. You have people relying on you, honey, so you have to pull yourself together. They are going to need your strength more than ever."

Her mother's words hit home, and Brett wiped the tears from her eyes. She did need to be strong. She needed to be strong for Matt and she needed to be strong for her sister. Brett right then vowed that she wouldn't cry anymore. Not until she had her two loves in her arms again.

As they hung up, Carol Brett ran to pack a bag to go be with her daughter.  
_________________________________

It was almost 2pm now. Bodden was growing more and more restless from not having had any updates on Casey in hours. He decided he would ask the Station Nurse once more, for the 10th time, if there was any update. Just as he got to the counter, Dr. Will Halstead came out. Unlike the initial meeting with Chief, this time all of 51 stood and gathered to hear the news.

Halstead looked around at all of them. He had always been amazed at the brotherhood these men and women shared. It was similar to what his brother, Jay had in the police force.

The Doctor looked at the Chief, but spoke louder this time for everyone to hear. "Chief, Casey made it through surgery."

At that news, the entire room let out the collective breath they had been holding. "He had lost of a lot of blood, but Dr. Kwon was able to stem the blood loss and kept him alive during the surgery."

"That's great news Doc." Bodden said enthusiastically. "When can we see Casey?"

A frown appeared on Halstead's face. There, unfortunately, was more.

"Chief, the bullet pierced Casey's spleen. Dr. Kwon tried his best, but he couldn't save it. So he had to remove it." Each member of 51 looked at each other at this news. They had to remove his spleen?

Halstead went on. "Because of that, Casey's not out of the woods yet. There is always the chance of internal bleeding after surgeries like this. Unfortunately, another, greater risk, in this type of procedure is an infection setting in. Therefore, Casey is being kept in an isolation room in the ICU. It's going to be a while before anyone can see him.

Everyone in the room immediately thought of Brett. If she wasn't going to be able to see Casey, she probably wouldn't be able to stand it. All of 51 knew that Brett wore her heart of her sleeve, and right now her heart belonged to Casey.

"Doc, is there anyway we can at least get Brett up there to see him? She took the news of him being in surgery pretty rough." the Chief said, after getting feedback from Kidd and Severide.

Halstead pursed his lips, thinking. "I will see what I can do. But even if she sees him, he is going to be out of it for a while. I'm not sure if she talked to him he would even know she was in the room."

Nodding, Bodden responded, "Just do what you can Doc. I am sure it would mean the world to both of them."

Promising he would, Halstead turned to go get Brett.

___________________________________

They had made Brett wash her hands, over and over again. Then they put sterile covers over the shoes and clothes she had changed into. They then put a sterile mesh cap on her head, latex gloves on her hands, and a face mask and shield. She prayed she would have the strength to see what she was about to see. She had been in and out of hospitals with work, so she knew what to expect. She just wasn't sure if she could handle seeing Matt like that. She took a breath, and then Halstead walked her into the room 

She froze at the sight of him. There were so many tubes running in and out of him, she wasn't sure she could count them if she wanted to. She could barely see his face, as he was intubated, with a clear, plastic mask covering his face. She couldn't tell from where she stood, but she thought that the his chest cavity might have even still been open. She immediately felt like she was going to be sick. She walked as quickly as she could do, taking his hand in hers. With tears in her eyes, she said the only thing she needed to say. The thing that she wanted him to know.

"Matt...I am so sorry. You're here because of me. I can't believe I was so stupid, letting you get hurt trying to protect me. Matt, please come back to me. Please." Her tears were flowing down her face now. Casey still laid motionless in the room.

"Please Matt. Come back to me. I promise you that I will never ask you for another thing if you will just live. We need you....Amelia and I need you so much. Please..." Her voice was now lost in her tears. She turned, running away from Casey towards the door. She had to get out of there. She wasn't sure she could live with herself if he didn't pull through. All of this was her fault. She knew it. Everyone at 51 knew it. She had to get out of there. As soon as she was out of the room, she tore off all the protective gear she had been given. She then ran, as fast as she could, trying to get away from Casey, away from the hospital, away from everything.

______________________________

After they had been updated on Casey's condition, Bodden sent all of his fireman back to their vehicles. He asked Kidd to hang around, and bring Brett back with her in the ambulance. He and Kelly were going to ride back in his car so that they could debrief about today. Everyone had already left, while Stella just sat in the waiting room. She knew her friend had gone up to see Casey, but she wondered how long she would stay, or if they would even let her stay. Kidd had just got to the nurses station, when she saw Brett running towards her. "Oh no" was all that crossed Kidd's mind. She reached out, catching Brett in an embrace, feeling the girl sob against her, tears still running down her face. 

"Brett, is Casey okay?" Stella held her breath waiting for the answer.

Brett nodded yes, while trying to figure out how to say what she needed to say. "Kidd, it's all my fault. Casey got shot because of me. You know it, Chief knows it, everyone at 51 does. I am not sure I can go back there." Brett looked at the ceiling, wishing that it could be her instead of Casey in that bed upstairs.

Kidd was having none of it. She loved her friend, but this had to stop. "Sylvie, you need to stop it right now. Nothing is your fault. Casey was doing what he could to protect YOU. The same thing he would do for anyone of his people. Everyone at 51 has your back. NO one is blaming you for this. We all want the same thing you do....for Casey to pull through this and get better."

Brett could feel her tears slowing at the strength of her friends words. They walked out arm and arm towards the ambulance. 

Right when they got to it, Brett felt she had to see it. She started opening the back doors.

"Brett, no. Don't do this to yourself."

"No, Kidd. I have to see." What she saw when she opened the doors made her blood run cold. There was so much blood. Everywhere. She had no idea how Casey even survived the trip to the hospital. She was about to close the door to the vehicle, when she noticed something. A bullet hole in one of the doors of the Ambulance. All Brett could do was stare at the hole.

"Brett, what is it?" Kidd asked.

"This....this was right where I was standing" Brett said, pointing to the hole in the door. If Casey wouldn't have got in front of me, that bullet would have hit me."

Kidd put her arm around her friend, trying to console her. Just then, a thought hit Kidd. She quickly grabbed her phone and made a call.

"Burgess, this is Stella Kidd at 51. I think I know where the bullet that hit Matt Casey is at."

__________________________________

Within 10 minutes, Burgess and Atwater were back on the scene, this time with a forensics team. The technician was slowly trying to extract the bullet from the door. Brett and Kidd stood to the side. Kim Burgess walked over, and gave Brett a hug. 

"Brett, I just know Casey is going to pull through this."

Sylvie nodded back, trying her best to smile.

Atwater walked over to the three women, holding up a plastic bag. "Ladies, thanks. You may have just given us the break we need to catch the person who shot Casey."

After more hugs, Kidd got Brett into the ambulance, and she drove them back to the firehouse.

"Sylvie, remember. Everyone at 51 has your back."

_________________________________

As soon as the two women walked into 51, all the men formed a long line to hug Brett. Not one person was angry with her. They just all wanted her to know that they were glad she was okay, that they all were praying for Casey. At the end of the line was Severide. He hugged Brett, promising her everything would be okay. Brett looked up at him, needing to say the words.

"Kelly, I'm sorry I acted the way I did when you told me about Casey." Brett stammered, knowing she had to get the words out. "Of course Casey would do something like that for Amelia and me. It just shows the type of person he is. That's just one of the many reasons I care for him so much."

Kelly nodded his head, knowing that Brett finally got that Casey only wanted to protect her. 

Just then, a thought hit Sylvie. "Severide, has anyone called Christie and Violet?"

"I tried earlier, but got her voicemail. I asked her to call me. I didn't want to give her this news over a voicemail."

Brett nodded, her heart pounding, knowing what she needed to do. "Can you give me Christie's number? I think I need to tell her myself."

If Severide couldn't have seen it before, he understood now. Why his friend was so head over heals for this woman standing in front of him. Here she was, asking to make the most difficult call after a terrible day. It was exactly what Casey would do, he thought. He quickly pulled out his phone, and gave her the number.

Sylvie started walking back towards the bunk room when she passed by Matt's quarters. She didn't know why, but she felt the need to be in his space. To be able to smell him on his cot. She slowly opened the door, closing it behind her. She pulled out Casey's chair, sat down, and dialed the number. 

"Hello" Christie answered.

Brett tried to steady her hand, which was shaking the phone. "Christie, it's Sylvie."

A smile came across Christie's face. "Sylvie! It's so good to hear from you. Tell me about Amelia!"

Brett took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. She immediately knew Casey would be better at this than she was, so she tried to think what he would say. "Christie, something has happened to Matt."

The silence on the phone was deafening to Brett, so she quickly tried to fill it. "He's alive Christie. He was shot today on a call, trying to protect me...". That was all Brett was able to get out before the tears came again. She didn't blame Matt's sister if she hated her. Part of her hated herself. She just knew that she had to be the one to tell Christie and Violet, not Severide.

"How bad is it?" Christie asked, having pulled Violet into a hug. She always worried about her brother, even though he told her not to. She just needed to know if he was going to live.

"He was in surgery for a few hours. They had to remove his spleen. He is in an isolation room in ICU at Chicago Med. Christie, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

The woman on the other end was having none of it. "Sylvie, now you listen to me. None of this was anyone's fault. You stop blaming yourself."

"But, if I would have listened to our Cheif's commands, Cased would never have been in this situation."

"No, Sylvie, just no." Christie said, squeezing the phone hard. "Matt knew about the risks when he joined the CFD. If he did anything for you, it was because he cares for you. That's it. Now, I want you to straighten up, pull yourself together, and meet me at the hospital."

Brett wasn't sure she could leave, but she couldn't tell Christie no. "I will do my best. I will call you when I get there." Brett said, hanging up. She knew she had to go see the one person who she hadn't seen yet. The Chief.

Brett decided as she walked to Bodden's office, that she was going to admit her mistake and ask him to suspend her. It was the right thing to do. As Brett got closer to the door, she heard a woman talking to the Chief. The voice sounded familiar. As she came to the open door, Sylvie saw her Mom turn around and face her.

_________________________________________

"Mom!" Sylvie yelled, rushing into the arms of her mother. Carol Brett knew he daughter needed her, so as soon as they got off the phone earlier, she packed a bag and headed to Chicago. When she got here, she had been directed to the Chief's office.

Wallace Bodden watched as the two women embraced. He had just spent a few moments talking to Mrs. Brett, but he knew instantly that this was what his young paramedic needed. After the mother and daughter ended their hug, Brett turned to face her Chief.

"Mrs. Brett, would you mind if I spoke to Sylvie in private?" Brett's Mom immediately understood, walking out of the office and closing the door, but not before placing her hand on her daughter's shoulder. 

Brett knew she needed to go first. "Chief, I want you to suspend me. What I did today was wrong, and my bad decision got Casey hurt." She was surprised she got it all out, as the tears were starting to form again.

Wallace Bodden leaned onto his desk. He had wondered how Brett would respond to this situation. She had in fact, done exactly what he expected she would. She had done the same thing Casey would have done if he was in this situation. He was beginning to think that Brett and Casey were more made for each other than he had actually thought.

Brett was about to start talking again, when Bodden raised his hand. Sylvie immediately quieted, waiting to hear her punishment.

"Brett, today was a bad call. One of the worst I have been on in a while. There was nothing you could have done to stop Casey. He was going to get to you no matter what. That's what makes him a great Captain. And the fact that you kept doing CPR, while gun fire was going on around you, is what makes you a great paramedic."

Leaning back in his chair, Bodden asked, "Severide said you called Casey's sister?"

"Yes sir. She wants me to meet her at the hospital."

"Then I think you need to be on your way."

Brett got up, not sure what just happened. She was about to the door, when the Chief stood up. "Brett?"

She quickly turned around, "Yes sir?"

Placing both of his hands on Sylvie's shoulder, he said, "Casey is going to need you now more than ever. You need to be strong for him, and you need to be strong for yourself. Take the rest of the shift off and go meet Casey's sister. Don't hesitate to call me and Donna, day or night, okay?"

Brett nodded, turning to get her mother. Brett had told her mother to go wait in the car, while she packed her bag. Just as she was about to finish, Foster came in the locker room. Brett turned around, hugging her partner for dear life. 

"Thank you Foster. Thank you for saving Casey."

Foster hugged her partner back. "I didn't do anything Brett. Nothing you would haven't have done it is was me."

Brett released her partner and bent down to get her bag. As she was leaving the locker room, she turned back to Foster. "Emily, that right there is exactly why I am going to miss you so much."

______________________________________

Brett and her Mom had gone by to pick up Amelia, and she then dropped them both off at the house. Sylvie then turned around and headed for the hospital. She knew in her heart she wasn't going to leave again until Matt left with her.

As she was finding a parking spot, her phone rang. "Christie, are you here? I am just pulling in." The only thing Brett heard were tears. "Sylvie, get in here quick."

Brett parked her car and ran for the ER entrance faster than she had ever run in her life. As soon as she got into the waiting room, she looked around, not seeing Christie or Violet. She ran towards the nurses station, looking for someone she knew.

"Della," Brett yelled. "What's going on with Casey?"

The nurse turned around, only saying two words. "Go, now!"

Brett ran through the ER to the elevator bank. She knew she wasn't supposed to be back here, but she didn't care. Once she got to the elevators, she kept pressing the buttons until the door opened. She then did the same thing all the way up to the 3rd floor to ICU.

As soon as the doors opened, Sylvie ran for Casey's room. She didn't care about sterile clothing, she just knew she had to see him. She turned the corner and opened the door to his room.

Through the floor to ceiling plastic, she could see Violet holing Casey's hand, talking to him. Christie was behind her daughter, with her hands on her shoulders.

Brett threw on the gown, mask, and shield that were on the table beside her. "No Matt, no. I need you so much. Don't leave me and Amelia." she thought, trying to put the gear on a fast as she could. Brett then went through the side door where the sink was at, ignored it, and just put on her latex gloves. She bounded into the room and over to Matt

"Babe..." was all she heard, very low and quiet. She looked down to see Matt looking up at her. "Hey...Sylvie."

Brett looked at Christie and Violet, who were both smiling through their tears. Brett couldn't contain herself anymore, letting her tears come too. Behind her she heard Will Halstead, "Brett, nice of you to join us."

Brett grabbed Matt's hand with her gloved one. Turning she looked at Will. "What happened?"

Scratching his head, Halstead looked at Casey. "Well, as best as I can tell, Mr. Casey here has decided he has something to live for."

Brett, smile now beaming, turned to Matt. "Thank God you are okay. Matt, I don't know what...". Her tears cut off the rest. Matt squeezed her hand, letting her know he was there. Brett got up, went around his bed, and hugged both Christie and Violet. For once today, she was happy.

"Uh Brett," the doctor said smiling, "Do you think you can now go back through the proper protocols? We don't want Casey to get an infection.".

_______________________________________

Casey was coherent for another 15 minutes or so. Will warned them that he would be going in and out like this, as the pain medication he was on was very strong. Christie and Violet, feeling better about Matt's condition, hugged Brett and told her to call if there was any news. Brett promised she would. Sylvie also called Kidd, telling her to let everyone know of the update.

Brett sat there, not letting go of Casey's hand. She wasn't ever going to let go of his hand. She had about lost him today, and he still wasn't out of the woods yet. She was going to hold onto Matthew Casey as long as she could. She told herself that when Casey woke up for good, she would not ever keep anything from him. She was going to apologize for putting him in this position in the first place. She was going to tell him everything she had held in her heart, whether it scared him or not. She didn't want him to ever doubt how she felt about him. 

At 9pm, one of the nurses came in, waking up a sleeping Brett. The nurse told Sylvie that visiting hours were over, and that she needed to head home. She could return tomorrow morning at 10am. Brett politely, and in no uncertain terms, told the nurse that she wasn't leaving.

"I am going to have to call Security than ma'am" the nurse said, trying to flex her authority.

Brett looked back at her. She knew she was just doing her job, but she wasn't leaving Casey. "Do what you have to do, but I am not leaving."

The nurse left, deciding that she would leave security out of it for tonight.

Casey slept through the night. Brett woke up every time someone came in. Her sleep was also interrupted by the sounds of gun shots in her nightmares. All she wanted was for Casey to hold her and tell her it would be okay. One of the nurses mentioned to her, at 3am, that she must really love her husband to stay here all night. Brett decided very quickly that she liked how that sounded.

_______________________________________

The next morning, a new doctor came in to check on Casey. He told Brett that she could wait in the hall, but she couldn't wait in the room. After 20 minutes of reviewing charts and tests, the doctor came out into the hallway. "How is he doing Doctor?" Brett asked, hoping for good news. 

"Remarkably well." the doctor replied. "If he keeps this up, he should be able to go home in the next couple of days."

Brett was thrilled to hear that. All she wanted was for Casey to be safe at home, with her and Amelia, recovering. For whatever reason, she had started to think of it as their home. She heard a noise behind her and saw Severide and Kidd walking down the hall to her. She quickly told them that they couldn't hug her until they went through the protocol. A nurse over heard the conversation, reminding them that only 2 people were supposed to be in the room at one time. Severide told Brett to go get something to eat, while he and Kidd watched Casey.

Brett didn't want to leave, but she hadn't eaten anything in over 24 hours. She was starving. Thanking them, she headed down to the cafeteria, calling her mom to check on her and Amelia on the way.

___________________________________

When Casey woke up, he didn't know who was beside him. He knew it wasn't Sylvie, as his hand was empty. 

"Hey buddy." Severide said. "Glad to see you awake. You had us pretty worried there."

"Kelly" Casey replied softly. "Glad to be awake too."

Severide laughed. Kidd looked at Casey. "Man, Casey, you really did have all of us worried. I'm so glad you pulled through."

Casey's eyes darted back and forth between his two friends. "Hey, what happened?" Casey asked.

Of course he didn't know, Severide thought to himself. How could he. "Casey, you got shot. As best as we can tell, when you ran to get Brett to safety, you took a bullet to your side."

They could see Casey's eyes thinking. "But Sylvie is okay, right? She was just here..."

The couple in front of him both replied in unison, "Yes, she's fine."

As soon as Casey heard that, he relaxed and drifted back off to sleep.

__________________________________

As soon as Severide and Kidd left, Chief and Donna, stopped by. They spent about 15 minutes with Casey. Donna left the room early, leaving Wallace and Casey to speak alone.

"Hey Sylvie, how you holding up?" the Chief's wife asked.

Sylvie noticed the concern in Donna's eyes. "I am doing better know. Yesterday, I was....well, a complete wreck. But seeing Matt the way he is now gives me hope that everything will be okay and that everything will be back to normal soon."

Donna's face got a confused look on it, obviously wondering something that Brett wasn't. Sylvie quickly picked up on this. "Donna, what is it?"

The wife looked back over her shoulder at her husband as he spoke earnestly to his Captain. "I'm not sure it's my place to say anything Sylvie."

Now Sylvie was starting to get worried. What could Donna be talking about? Brett knew she had to know, and quickly.

"Donna, please. If it is something about Casey, I need to know."

Looking down at the floor, Donna looked at her hands, joined together at her waist. She knew Sylvie carried her heart on her sleeve, and she wasn't sure how this young paramedic would take the news. Still, Brett had a right to know.

"Sylvie, things may not be able to go back to normal completely..."

Brett had no idea what the woman in front of her was talking about. Of course they would get back to normal. Casey was already getting better. In 3-6 weeks he would be able to get back to work, right alongside her.

Donna could see that Brett didn't understand what she was trying to say. She deserves to know, she thought to herself. Sylvie had to find out sometime, so it might as well be now.

The Chief's wife put her hand on Brett's shoulder, knowing this news would be difficult to hear. "Brett, Casey may not be able to be a fireman again. Wallace said that because he lost his spleen, the CFD may deem him to be too high risk to return to work."

The tears hit Sylvie again, and she could feel herself start to shake. Donna wrapped her arm around Brett, trying to comfort her. Just then, Chief Bodden stepped out of Casey's room. He instantly knew that his wife had shared with Brett the same news he had just shared with Casey. The Chief put his hand on Brett's shoulder.

"Brett, now you don't you go worrying about the CFD right now. The most important thing is for Casey to get better. When the time comes, I will do everything in my power to make sure Casey stays with the CFD."

His words didn't stop the flowing of tears from Brett's eyes. What would happen if Casey couldn't go back to being a Captain. He loved being a fireman. Once again, she felt her despair rise, knowing that all of this was her fault. She turned and ran towards the stairwell, knowing she couldn't face Casey. He had done so much for her, and now Amelia too. This was how she would repay him? By getting him kicked out of the CFD because she was stubborn and wouldn't listen to an order?

The Chief and Donna watched as Brett run towards the stairwell. Neither one of them made a move to go after her, knowing that she had to sort this out herself. Wallace looked back over his shoulder toward Casey laying in his bed. Casey balled his hand into a fist, and punched the closest thing to him, sending a water pitcher across the room.

___________________________________

Brett got out of her car and walked into the house. Her mother turned towards her, surprised to see her daughter home.

"Sylvie, what are you doing here?"

Brett knew she didn't have the strength to tell her mother the whole story now. Instead, she went to the floor and picked up Amelia, hugging her sister. "I just came back to pack a bag for Matt, Mom."

Her mother's instinct knew something was up, but Carol knew her daughter had been through the ringer in the last few months and wasn't going to press her right now. "Okay, honey. Just know that I am here for you if you need me."

After hugging and kissing her baby sister, Brett went into her room and packed a bag for herself. She hoped that the nurses would let her stay the night again tonight, but with the news she had just heard, she wasn't even sure Casey would want to see her again. After her bag was ready, she ran up the stairs to Casey's room. She grabbed one of his CFD bags from his closet, and went to work. She had never done anything like this for him, as he had done for her when she was in Rockford, and she prayed it wouldn't be the last time. She had packed some t-shirts, sweat pants, socks, and then reached for his underwear. She grabbed 3-4 pairs and pulled them out of the drawer, but something came with them and hit the floor. She looked down, not being sure that what she was seeing was actually real. It was a blue engagement ring box. The same box he had given Gabby when he proposed to her. Brett could feel her anger start to rise. "How dare he keep Gabby's ring in the house where we are living!" she thought. So, he really wasn't over her? What had he been doing with her these last few months with her? She threw the box into the bag and ran out of the house. She was going to give Casey a piece of her mind when she got to the hospital, and she didn't care if he was injured or not.

Brett was already in the car, backing out to head to the hospital, when she realized she hadn't even told her mother goodbye.

_______________________________

When Brett got back to Casey's room, she was glad to see that no one was visiting. They had actually raised his bed, so his was sitting up at a 45 degree angle. Brett went through the sterilization procedures again, her anger only growing. When she walked into the room, Matt saw her. "Hey babe." he said sullenly.

"Babe! Don't you babe me Casey!" Brett's face was red with anger and Casey was taken back at her words.

"What..." Casey said, before being interrupted.

Brett laid into him. "Don't you give me that what do you mean. First, you have to go be the hero and try to save me. Well Casey, I would have been fine on my own. I told you plenty of times that I can take CARE OF MYSELF!" She now realized that her voice was bordering on screaming. "And then, you change your will to give me the house! Well, I am here to tell you that you can keep your stupid house!"

Casey was in shock over how Sylvie was yelling at him. What had he done to deserve this, and how did she know about the house?

All of Brett's emotions, her fears, desires, denials, angers and frustrations were all coming out now. She couldn't stop it she wanted to. It would have been like trying to stop a river from flowing. They were all coming out now, whether she wanted them to our not. 

"And to top that off Casey, I FOUND GABBY'S STUPID ENGAGEMENT RING IN YOUR DRAWER!" Knowing she couldn't hold back her tears, she let them come.

She had found the ring? Matt could feel his anger growing to match hers. He didn't know why, but his first defense was to fire back at her. How had they gotten here?

"Brett, I wasn't trying to be a hero, I was trying to PROTECT YOU!" Casey took a deep breath, trying to calm himself without success.

"I TOLD YOU THAT YOU DIDN'T NEED TO DO THAT!" Brett yelled back, not worrying if anyone heard them.

Casey fired right back at her. "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I RAN TO YOU BRETT, IT'S BECAUSE I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU!"

Matt's words cut through Brett's heart like nothing she had ever felt. She instantly stepped back from him and his words, not knowing what to do next.

Casey could see Brett's demeanor change in an instant. She had gone from an angry woman to a timid one in 3 words. Matt took a deep breath, speaking softer this time.

"Sylvie, I love you. I have loved you for a while now. I was just waiting for the perfect moment to tell you, which I obviously failed miserably at".

Not knowing what else to say, Brett asked, "You love me? Even after all...", not being able to finish her thoughts.

Nodding his head, Casey continued. "Yes, I do. Babe, I know you can take care of yourself. But when I saw you standing there, I...I just knew that I couldn't live with myself if I let anything happen to you. I had to get to you."

Walking closer to Casey's bed, Brett whimpered, "But Matt, you took a bullet for me. You barely survived. And now you might not be able to be a fireman again."

Shaking those thoughts away, Casey responded, "I don't care about any of that. I would do anything in my power to keep you safe. Sylvie, you are my whole world."

Smiling through her tears, Brett said the only thing she could think of. "Matt, I love you too." All Brett wanted to do was kiss Casey, but she couldn't with everything she had on. She reached out for his hand, taking his in hers. "God, Matt, you have no idea how much I love you. Or how worried I have been."

Squeezing her hand, Casey winked at her. "I'm going to be fine babe. Besides, if the CFD thinks they can kick me off the force, then they haven't met me yet." Matt paused, wanting one more thing. "With all that said, could you tell me you love me one more time."

Sylvie brought Matt's hand to her cheek. "Matt, I am head over heels in love with you." She winked back at him. "And all I want to do right now is kiss you."

There, together, they gazed into each other's eyes. All of the sudden Casey could see a cloud come over Brett's.

"What is it babe?"

Speaking softly, Sylvie asked, "Matt if you love me, then why do you still have Gabby's ring in your drawer?"

A chuckle came out of Casey's lips. "Did you look at the ring Sylvie?"

"No," she replied, realizing she hadn't.

Casey let out a sigh of relief and smiled at the wonderful woman in front of him. "Good, because I didn't keep Gabby's ring...that ring is for you."

____________________________________________


	7. Where do we go from here?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Sylvie finally admitted how they feel about each other. But love can't cure all ills can it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the feedback and kudos. I hope you have enjoyed my story. I thought chapter 6 would be the last chapter, but decided to add on a bonus chapter before the epilogue. Honestly, I feel like I could write about these two forever, but this little trip into fan fiction is coming to an end. All of this writing, and I do apologize for the REALLY LONG chapters, has gotten me excited to write some of the stories that have been bouncing around my head for the last few years (and also find someone who can edit my terrible punctuation).

The next day at the hospital, they had Casey up and walking a little. Brett had never seen what really happened after she dropped someone off at Med, so she was amazed at how quickly they had Casey moving around. The doctor informed Brett that if all kept going well, then more than likely Casey could go home tomorrow. However, he was going to need someone with him for the two weeks because they wanted him on bed rest, unless he was walking back and forth to the bathroom. More than likely, he would need help with that.

Brett knew instantly that she was going to stay home with Matt. He was in this position because of her, so it was the least she could do. The problem, she thought, was that she had used up a lot of her time off over the last year. She decided the only thing she could do was ask Chief Bodden. He wouldn’t be back on shift until tomorrow, so she decided to drive over to his house and speak to him personally.

Brett arrived at the Bodden residence later that morning. She had never been there before but Casey had told her where it was. She walked up the steps and knocked on the door. She hugged her arms around her. She wasn’t cold. In fact, it was a perfect spring day. She was just worried what the Chief would say. A few seconds later, the Chief answered the door, somewhat surprised to she his paramedic at his home.

“Hey Brett. Everything okay with Casey?”

“Yes sir,” Brett replied. “I needed to ask your advice about something and Matt told me where you lived. I hope you don’t mind.”

Bodden, smiling now, invited her in. Donna, who was in the kitchen, came over at seeing Brett walking in their home.”

“Sylvie, how are you holding up?” asked the Chief’s wife, hugging the paramedic.

Smiling back at the two of them, Brett replied. “I am much better today, thank you. I was hoping to get the Chief’s advice on something.”

“Come on over and have a seat Brett.” The Chief suggested.

Brett took a seat, looking at the beautiful home around her. Obviously, most of the decor was Donna’s doing. With that said, it was interesting to see how relaxed Bodden was at home off shift, compared to how he was at 51.

“Chief, the doctor said this morning that Casey will probably be going home tomorrow.”

Relieved, Bodden couldn’t hide his joy at this news. Casey was lucky to be alive. He knew it, as did everyone at 51. He looked forward to, hopefully, getting his Captain back to 51 as soon as possible. He still wasn’t quite sure what Brett was doing here though.  
“Sylvie, that is great news, isn’t it honey?” Donna could see her husband get lost in his thoughts, as he sat silently for a few moments.

“Yes, Brett. Yes, it is.” Bodden looked directly at his PIC. “Now young lady, what can I do for you?”

Brett gulped. She knew she was on thin ice with how much time she had already taken off, not including leaving for a month to move to Fowlerton. She just hoped that the Chief would understand.

“Well Chief, Casey is going to need someone with him at all times for the first 2 weeks. Knowing he wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for me, I would like it to be me.” Brett took a breath before speaking again. “But, I…”

Wallace interrupted her. “But you don’t have enough time off left to take, right?”

“Yes sir. With everything that has happened this year, I don’t have enough time off left to take the equivalent of 2 weeks of shifts off.”

Nodding her head slowly, she hoped her Chief could figure something out. She was sure she could pay a nurse to come in a take care of Matt, but she felt like that responsibility rested on her shoulders, not someone else’s.

Both women could see Bodden thinking, as the gears in his head spun. He knew as well as they did that Casey would want Brett there at home with him. If it got Casey better, and better faster, than he was on board with trying to find a solution. Just then a grin appeared on his face.

“Brett” the Chief asked, “Aren’t you going to be adopting your sister?”

“Yes, sir I am.” Brett replied, not knowing why that had anything to do with Matt.

Bodden, clearly proud of himself, put his hands behind his head and leaned back. “Well, if that is the case, then I think the least you could do would be to take off your adoption leave under the union guidelines.”

Both women smiled now, looking at each other. “Chief, that would be wonderful. I hadn’t even checked into that yet.”

“Well” Bodden replied, “I looked into it when Casey was trying to adopt Louie. You actually get full pay for what would be 3 weeks of shifts.”

With that problem solved, Brett promised the Chief she would only take off 2 weeks, just to help Casey. Donna hugged the younger woman again, reminding her that they were there for her and Casey anytime, day or night. As Brett walked out of their house towards her car, she had a bounce in her step, knowing that at least she had overcome one problem this week. She then texted her mom the news before heading back to the hospital.

__________________________

The next day, Brett brought Casey home in her car. She helped Matt while he was walking, with her arm around his waist, just in case he had any problems. All he had to do was get to the master bedroom and he could lay back down. Making it there, Matt realized he had never been so exhausted over such a short walk in his life. As soon as Sylvie helped him lay down on the bed, he was out like a light.

Brett walked into the living room, looking for her mother. She found her and Amelia in the makeshift room she used as a nursery. Her mother was just putting her sister down for a nap. Carol reached over and hugged her daughter. 

“Honey, I am so glad Matt is home.”

“Me too Mom. Thank you coming up and watching Amelia for me.”

Carol looked at her daughter’s tired eyes while pushing a strand of hair behind Brett’s ear. “Sylvie, you need to go rest with Matt. It is going to be tough for you to take care of a baby AND Matt for the next 2 weeks. You need to get sleep when you can.”

“I will Mom, I promise.“

With that, Carol went and picked up her bag and headed for her car. “Tell Matt that I hope to see him soon.”

Sylvie just nodded back. As soon as her mom had pulled out of the driveway, Sylvie went back in the bedroom, checked to make sure the baby monitor was on, and laid down beside Casey. She had missed feeling him beside her, quickly promising herself to let it happen as infrequently as possible. 

_________________________

Matt woke up an hour later. It took him a second to understand where he was. He had only slept with Sylvie in her bed twice, so he was still adjusting to the different mattress type. What he didn’t have to adjust to, was the beautiful woman who was asleep beside him.   
He could tell that she was trying to be careful with his injury, as normally they would have their arms around each other. But now, she was turned facing away from him. He thought about rolling over on his side so that he could hold her, but quickly thought better of it when he felt the stitches in his side pull. 

He was supposed to stay in bed, as much as possible, for the next 2 weeks. He ran his right hair through his side. He wasn’t used to slowing down and he worried that being in bed for 2 straight weeks would feel like an eternity. On top of that, he couldn’t work at 51 OR doing any jobs for his customers. He quickly decided he was going to have to find someone to pass those jobs off to. He didn’t want to make his customers wait for him that long, especially when he wasn’t sure that in two weeks he would be able to pick back up right where he left off.

He also wasn’t supposed to take a shower during this time. The doctor had also specifically said he couldn’t have sex. He laughed thinking about how the doctor looked at both he and Sylvie when he had said that. Brett blushed six different shades of red upon hearing the doctor’s orders. He had only made love to Brett twice before the accident, and he wasn’t sure he could last a couple more weeks without her. Making love to her was like a drug he was already missing.

Just then, Matt heard the sound of Amelia waking up on the baby monitor. He immediately thought that he would go get her so Sylvie didn’t have to wake up. Then he remembered having to stay in this stupid bed. Reaching over with his hand, he started running his fingers up and down her back. She started to respond to his touch, before rolling over to look at him. She smiled seeing him right where he was supposed to be…beside her.

“Babe, I’m sorry, but Amelia is up.”

Brett nodded, wiped the sleep out of her eyes, and sat up.

“You need anything love?” She wasn’t sure where the word “love” came from. She had never heard it used before. Somehow, she knew it fit him.

Smiling more than he had in the last few days, Casey pulled Brett in for a quick kiss. “Love huh?”

Kissing him again, Brett replied, “I don’t know why I said that, but I think it fits.”

Brett quickly got out of bed and headed towards Amelia. Casey, on the other hand, just laid there smiling, thinking how lucky he was to have her in his life.

________________________

The next few days seemed to both fly by and crawl at the same time. Kelly and Stella came over to visit, making sure Casey was listening to the doctor and improving. All 4 adults sat and talked, while Stella held Amelia. 

“So, what were you saying about your jobs?” Severide asked, trying to tear his eyes away from Kidd holding a baby.

“Just that I believe I need to find someone to take them on for me while I am down.” Casey knew a couple of retired firefighters that did construction work on the side. He had always heard good things about them, so figured he would call them first. “If I can get these two retired firefighters to help me, at least I would feel better than picking some person at random.”

“Makes sense to me.” Severide replied, as Kidd handed Amelia to him. He looked at the little girl in his arms, looking back at him. This isn’t too bad he thought. He quickly glanced at Kidd who was staring at him and Amelia. Maybe one day he thought.

Later, Kidd was in the kitchen cleaning up what they just ate when Brett came to help. They really hadn’t had a chance to talk much.

“You starting to feel like yourself again?” Kidd asked.

Brett nodded, looking at her friend. Quickly listening, she heard Matt and Kelly still talking in the bedroom. “Stella, you will never believe what I found in Matt’s room.”

“What?” Kidd said, excited to hear some juicy news from her friend. Now that Emily had left 51, it was up to the two of them to stick together.

Brett looked down at the floor, suddenly not sure she should share this news. However, she knew she was about to pop if she didn’t tell someone. Casey hadn’t said a thing about it since she mentioned it to him at the hospital.  
Looking over at her friend, Sylvie smiled. “I found a ring.”

“You found what?” Stella said, louder than she intended to.

Brett put her hand on her friend’s mouth to shut her up. “When I was packing a bag to take back to Matt at the hospital, a ring fell out.” Brett looked around, making sure Kelly had not come out of the bedroom before continuing. “I got mad, because it looked like the same box that Gabby’s ring came in. When I confronted him about it, he told me it was for me.”

Kidd sat there thinking, while Brett removed her hand from her mouth. “Did you look at it?”

Shaking her head, Brett replied, “No I didn’t. Now I am glad I didn’t. I want to be surprised when he gives it to me.”

“Wow”, Kidd said surprised. “It takes you two forever to start dating and now Casey’s already bought you a ring? Captain obviously doesn’t want to take things slow anymore.”

“And you know what Kidd…neither do I.”

____________________

A few days after Severide and Kidd’s visit, Casey called all of his customers he had scheduled for the next 3 weeks and told them about his injury, letting them know that he was going to get someone he trusted to handle their jobs. He then called both of the former firefighters, asking if they would help out. They both immediately agreed, as for some reason Casey always had more business than he could handle, while they would each find themselves going weeks between jobs. With that settled, Casey laid back, looking at the ceiling again. He wasn’t sure he could handle another week of this. 

Brett had just come in from putting Amelia down for her mid-morning nap, when she came in to check on Casey. She could see he was bored, but unfortunately she couldn’t help him. She had moved a TV into the bedroom so he would have something to watch, but there really wasn’t anything on during the day he liked. She sat down on the bed looking at him. He smiled back at her. 

“Babe, you are doing an amazing job of taking care of me and Amelia. I just want you to know how much I appreciate it.”

Sylvie was touched at his comment. She knew that she had to do this for him, but he didn’t. She reached up, giving him a quick kiss. “Anything for you Matt.” It only took her a few seconds of being near him this morning, when she declared that he needed a shower.

“I wish Sylvie. I would like nothing more than a shower right now.”

Brett knew he couldn’t take a shower until he went back to see the doctor in two weeks. Immediately knowing what she had to do, she told him, “I will be right back.”

Matt had no idea what she was leaving to do until she came back with a clean wash rag and a pan of warm, soapy water. “Well love, if you can’t take a shower, the least I can do is wash you off.”

Carefully, she helped Matt out of his shorts and t-shirt, leaving him in only his boxer briefs. She started with his face, then his arms. She could only do the right side of his chest because she was worried about the stitches on the other side. 

Matt was in heaven. He didn’t normally like to be taken care of. However, If this was what it felt like all the time, he decided he could quickly change his tune. He looked down at the beautiful woman, carefully washing his body. When she started washing his thighs, Matt couldn’t control himself any more.

“Oh my God Sylvie, you are so sexy.”

Sylvie let her smile come at his words. In the past, she had been called cute and pretty, even beautiful, but she wasn’t sure if anyone had ever told her she was sexy before. His eyes on her gave her a confidence she hadn’t known in years. 

Brett ran the wash rag up Matt’s thigh. She could see him harden at her touch. Looking directly at him, she ran her fingernails on the inside of his thigh, seeing him grow even more. 

“Babe, as much as I love what you are doing, remember I can’t have sex for another week.” All he wanted to do was roll her over and make love to her.

“Yeah that is right” Brett replied, her smile turning crooked. “But the doctor didn’t say anything about me not being able to take care of you.”

Right as Matt was going to ask her what she meant, he felt her pull down his underwear.

Then he knew exactly what she meant.

__________________

Later that even, Sylvie was getting ready for bed. She was pleased that she could make Matt so happy today, knowing in her heart that she would do anything she could to make him happy. Amelia was down for the night, she hoped, and she had just gotten out of the shower.

Wrapped only in a towel, Sylvie had her foot up on the bed, putting lotion on her legs. She looked over at Matt, whose eyes were burning with desire for her.

“Matt, remember, you can’t make love to me for one more week.” She said, using his line from this morning.

Matt nodded, his expression not changing.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel as good as you made me feel today.”

Sylvie couldn’t take her eyes off him. He pulled her over to him. 

“Matt, I am not sure…” was all she got out, before her words left her, turning to moans at the feeling of his tongue hitting her core.

Smiling, Matt looked up at her. “What were you saying?”

“I can’t remember” she replied. “Just keep doing what you are doing.”

Always one to follow orders, Matt did what he was told.

______________________________________

The next Thursday morning, Brett took Casey back to Chicago Med for his appointment. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she was here, worried if he was going to live or not. For part of her, the gunshots felt like they happened 10 minutes ago. She tried to push the second thought out of her mind, only focusing on Matt today.

“Well Mr. Casey”, the doctor said after examining him. “I am very pleased with your progress. Seems like someone has been compliant with my orders.”

Casey looked over at Brett, knowing she was the only reason why he had followed the orders. If he would have been by himself, he was sure he would have been up moving around. That probably would have landed him back in the hospital.

“So Doc, am I good to go back to work, at least for desk duty?”

The doctor shook his head no. “Not yet Mr. Casey. You stay home for one more week, and then I will clear you for it.” Matt was about to say something when the doctor continued. “However, this week I want you up walking in stretches. I just don’t want you driving or lifting anything heavy yet, okay?”

Casey nodded. He wasn’t sure he could handle another week at home, but he would do what he had to do to get back to work as soon as possible. Even if it was just for desk duty.

As Brett and Casey walked back to her car, Casey sighed. “I am not sure I can take another week at home babe.”

Sylvie nodded. She had to be back at work Monday for her first shift back. Maybe she and Matt could do something about getting him out of the house. “Love, why don’t you let me take you to Fowlerton? My dad and brother still want to meet you and Amelia. It’s not what you want, but at least it would be different.”

Matt thought about that. If it got him out of the house, he was all for it. Besides, he did want to see where Sylvie grew up. “Let’s do it. When do you want to go?”

“As soon as we go pick up Amelia from Cindy’s, let’s go home and pack our bags. If we get out of here right after lunch, we can be there for dinner. We will come back home Saturday night.”

As they got in her car, Casey looked over at Brett. “I love you Sylvie. Thanks for doing all this for me.”

Smiling back at him she replied, “I love you too Matt. Now let’s go get Amelia and get on the road.”

_____________________________

They arrived at Fowlerton at about 4:30pm. Brett helped Casey get out of the car, and then got Amelia out of the back seat. Matt still wasn’t supposed to pick her sister up yet, but would be able to next week. As they walked to the door, Brett could see her parents had opened the door and were standing outside waiting for them. As they got closer, Sylvie introduced her father. “Matt, this is my father, Frank Brett.”

Casey shook the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you Mr. Brett.”

Returning the handshake, Frank shook his head. “Matt, any man who saves my daughter can call me Frank.”

Casey blushed slightly, not wanting to receive any accolades for what he had done. All he wanted to do was keep Brett safe. “Thank you sir, but I have no doubt your daughter would have been fine if I wouldn’t have done anything.”

Brett looked at her father, mouthing the words “no”. Just then Carol Brett grabbed Casey and hugged him. “Thank you for bringing our daughter home safe to us Matt.” Matt gently hugged her back, but Sylvie could see him wince at how tightly she was squeezing him.  
“Mom, not so hard, remember Casey was shot in the side.”

Her mom immediately jumped back like she had been stung by a bee. “I am so sorry, Matt. You two come in the house.”

Sylvie, Amelia, and her mom and dad went into the house. Casey went back out to the cars to get their bags, promising Brett he would be careful and only lift them one at a time. By the time all the bags were in the house, Casey chuckled seeing Amelia work her magic on Brett’s Dad. 

There they were, Frank in a chair and Amelia on his lap, smiling as big as she could. Matt knew that Amelia was going to be a heart breaker one day, as she was already well on her way to winning over himself, Kelly, and now Frank. 

“Matt, I want to introduce you to my brother Jesse.” Sylvie said. 

If she hadn’t told him that this was her brother, he never would have guessed it. Jesse was about 6 feet tall, and had dark black hair. Matt offered his, which Jesse shook.

“Nice to meet you man.” Jesse said with a smile. “You definitely are just like Sylvie said.”

Casey quickly glanced at Brett, not sure what he meant. Sylvie just smiled back at him. “Thanks Jesse, I hope.”

Within the hour, they were talking like old friends. Casey was hearing stories about Brett when she was growing up, and Casey was filling them on growing up in Chicago. He still skipped the part about his parents, which didn’t surprise Brett, but it was obvious that he was winning over her dad.

“Sylvie, Jesse, why don’t you go down to the KFC and get us some dinner for tonight? I have been so excited about you all coming today, I didn’t even think about what to make for dinner.”

Brett looked over at Matt, wondering if he would be interrogated while she was gone. Instead he just smiled back at her, pulling out his billfold. 

“Only if it can be my treat Mr. and Mrs. Brett.”

Frank immediately jumped in. “Now Matt, what did I just tell you?”

Laughing, Matt responded, “Sorry sir, you are probably going have to remind me a few more times before it sticks.”

Carol reached across the couch she was sharing with Matt, patting his shoulder. “Matt, that is so nice of you. Thank you.”

As Jesse and Brett got up to leave, she turned and mouthed “good luck” to him.

Matt just nodded his head. As soon as the two siblings left, he turned to the parents. “Let the interrogation begin” he thought to himself.

______________________

For the first 5 minutes, the questions were easy. Things about the house, work, Chicago, etc. Then it turned serious.

“Matt” Frank said, “Carol and I really do want to tell you how thankful we are that you saved our daughter. We know you said she would have been fine, but we know that’s not true. Chief Bodden told Carol when she got there if it wouldn’t have been for you, then there was no doubt in his mind Sylvie would have been hit.”

Matt looked down at his hands in his lap. He was surprised the Chief would say something like that, as he hadn’t mentioned anything to him about that. Casey was crazy about Sylvie, and he wanted her parents to like him. So, he decided to be honest with them.  
“Sir, I am in love with your daughter. I promise you, well both of you really, that I will always do whatever I can to keep both her and Amelia safe.”

Brett’s father sat in his chair nodding, seeing the earnestness in this young man’s face. He decided that if that was true, then it made his next question even more relevant.

“We appreciate that Matt, we really do. If I may ask you, what exactly are your intentions with our daughter?”

Without missing a beat, Matt responded. “I intend to marry her, sir.”

Frank and Carol both should have been floored by Casey’s admission, but surprisingly neither one of them were. Carol had seen the way Matt was with Sylvie and Amelia, and she assumed it was just a matter of time until talk of marriage started to happen.

Frank, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised. Brett had been engaged to 2 men in her life, Harrison and Kyle. Neither one of them had asked his permission to marry his daughter before they proposed. Now, here was Matt, only having dated their daughter for a few months, telling him the first day he met him that he wanted to marry Brett. He immediately knew, somehow beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Matt Casey was exactly the man who Brett had said he was all those times.

“Well Matt” Frank replied with a smile on his face. “I appreciate you being honest with me. Therefore, I will be honest with you. When the time comes when you want to propose to Sylvie, just know you have my blessing.”

Matt had been holding his breath, hoping he wasn’t overstepping. With Frank’s words, he exhaled, returning the older man’s smile. “I appreciate that sir. It really means a lot for you to say that. And even though it seems quick, I promise you that I am not going to wait long to ask Sylvie. I don’t know what my world would be like without her and Amelia in it, and I don’t intend to find out.”

All three of them sat in silence, except for Amelia who sat in Carol’s arms making sounds. 

“Well” Matt thought to himself. “That went better than expected.

______________________________

Late that evening, after Frank and Carol had gone to bed, Jesse, Matt, and Sylvie sat in the living room talking. Amelia had just gone down, so they were trying to be quiet.

“Matt” Jesse asked, “Why don’t you sleep in my room tonight and I will take the couch?”

“I appreciate that Jesse, but the couch is fine with me. You keep your bed.”

Jesse nodded, not really understanding why anyone would want to sleep on a couch. He said his goodnights and went to bed. After Jesse went upstairs, Brett sat down on the couch beside Matt. She put her hands on his face, pulling him into a deep kiss that left both of them breathless.

“Babe” Casey said, trying to catch his breath. “What was that for?”

“That was just for being you.” Brett replied. “But, it could also be to try to convince you to tell me what all my parents asked you when we were gone.”

Looking over at the beautiful woman beside him, Matt told her the truth. “Your dad just asked me what my intentions were with you.”

“And what did you say love?”

Casey looked deep into Brett’s eyes before pulling her in for another kiss. “I told him the truth.”

“And just what might the truth be Captain Casey?’

“I told him I was going to marry you.”

Brett could feel her pulse quicken at Matt’s response. Yes, she had seen the ring. Well, at least the box the ring went into, but he had never been so vocal about this type of thing before.

“Really?” Sylvie asked, not quite sure how her father would have reacted to this news.

“Yes” Matt replied, a smile forming on his lips. “And by the way, he gave me his blessing to marry you.”

__________________________

It was Saturday afternoon and Brett, Casey, and Amelia were heading back home. Amelia was sound asleep in the back of the car. It seemed like the motion of the car put her to sleep every time. Brett was driving, while Casey was in the passenger’s seat. He was starting to feel a little sore from having been cramped in a car both Thursday going to Fowlerton, and now today heading back home. They still had about 90 minutes to go when Casey’s phone started ringing. He quickly answered, looking back to make sure the sound hadn’t woken Amelia. 

“Hello” Casey said, breathing a sigh of relief that Brett’s sister was still fast asleep.

“Casey, this is Hank Voight. How you feeling.”

Brett glanced over at Casey, and he mouthed the words “Voight” to her. “Pretty good Hank, feeling more and more like myself every day.” Casey didn’t want to stay on the phone any longer than he had to with Sergeant Voight. They had never had a great relationship after one of Voight’s operations had gone south on Casey. “What can I do you for you Sergeant?”

“Well Casey” Voight replied. “This time it is what I have done for you. I just wanted to let you know that we arrested the gang banger who shot you.”

Casey wasn’t sure how to feel. It wasn’t like he had seen who had shot him, as he was entirely focused on getting to Brett. That said, one more criminal off the streets of their city was always a positive thing.

“Thanks Voight. I appreciate the update.”

“Anytime Casey. I hope this helps you and your pretty paramedic move on from this event.”

“Appreciate that.” Casey said, before quickly ending the call. Of course, Voight would have to get a snide remark like that in. Casey turned to Brett to give her the news.

“That’s wonderful love!” Brett replied. “It will be nice knowing the person who did this will be behind bars.”

Behind bars. Those words always made Casey think about his mother. He looked over at Sylvie, beautiful as always. He knew he had never told her about what happened when he was growing up. He figured now was a good a time as any.

“Babe, I have been meaning to tell you about my childhood.”

Glancing back his way, Sylvie smiled. “Matt, you can tell me anything you want. I am here for you, whenever you are ready.” She took her right hand off the wheel and reached over and but it on Casey’s leg.

The rest of the way home, Casey told Brett everything about what had happened. To say she was shocked was an understatement, but it helped her understand him a little more. As she pulled into their driveway, they knew that there were truly no more secrets between the two of them.

_________________________

Sylvie’s first shift back on Ambulance 61 was strange. First, Matt still had to be home, so he was taking care of Amelia. Secondly, she had a floater working with her. After having spent two solid weeks with Matt and Amelia every day, all day, she found that she missed them immensely. The only time she didn’t find her mind wandering to them was when she was on a call. 

Bodden glanced over at Brett during one of their joint calls. If there were any leftover fears from being on a call like the one that Casey had been shot at, she wasn’t showing it. In fact, he was surprised to see his PIC being more vocal with the floater. He could see her move confident in her role, not backing down from making decisions. He wondered where this extra boost of confidence had come from, wondering if it was sitting at home waiting on her. He smiled to himself, thinking about how perfect Brett and Casey were for each other. He was bringing out her confidence, and she had him smiling and looser at work and off. 

They had just gotten back to 51 and everyone was heading back into the bullpen. Brett stayed behind at her vehicle, doing a quick inventory about what they needed to pick up at Med the next time they went there. All of the sudden, she heard a familiar voice call her name.

“Brett! Hey girl!”

Gabby Dawson. Brett chuckled to herself. Of course she would come back into town when things were going so well between her and Matt. Brett turned around, about to say something when Dawson pulled her into a hug.

“Gabby. What are you doing here?” Sylvie hoped it didn’t have anything to do with Matt.

Looking around to make sure no one was around, Gabby leaned towards Brett. “Well Brett, word got to Puerto Rico that Casey had been shot. When I heard about it, I hopped on the first flight I could find to come see him.”

“Well” Brett thought to herself. “No such luck on the Casey front.” Brett looked at her former partner and friend. “Yeah Gabby, it was pretty touch and go there for a little while, but Matt is doing so much better now.”

Gabby heard how Brett used the term “Matt” instead of Casey. She eyed her friend closely, wondering what was going on. “Well Brett, I was just stopping by 51 to see if Severide would lend me the key to the loft so I could go check on Matt.”

In the past, Brett knew she would have immediately started worrying about Gabby going to see Matt. Worrying if he was going to run back into his ex-wife’s arms. Now, though, she had none of those concerns. She trusted Matt explicitly. She also knew that it wasn’t fair to her former friend not to tell her the truth.

“Dawson, Matt isn’t living with Kelly anymore. He is living in a house he bought.” Brett took a breath, looking intently at her friend. “Actually, I am living there too with my baby sister.”

Gabby looked at her former partner closely, trying to process this information. Matt bought a house? Brett was living there too? She knew she needed to understand exactly what was going on. “So, Casey is letting you rent a room at his new house.”

Remembering how Dawson was about Casey, Brett should have known she would want all the details. “No Gabby, Matt and I are together. I am living in his house with him.”

Dawson could feel her anger growing. How could Brett do this to her? She leaves for Puerto Rico and Sylvie decides to make a move on Matt? Why would Casey pick her former partner, out of all the women in Chicago, to choose to date. “Brett, are you saying you and Casey are dating?”

“No Dawson, I am telling you that I am in love with Matt and he feels the same about me.” In her heart, Brett was proud of herself for standing up for them. She would have had a difficult time doing this in the past. Being loved by Matt gave her another level of confidence in herself that she didn’t know she had.

“Oh”, was all Dawson could think to say.

“Gabby, if you really want to check and see how Matt is doing, I will be more than happy to give you my key to the house and you can go see him. But, if you came here under some false illusion that the two of you could pick up where you left off, I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”

Gabby had never seen Brett like this. What woman would give her man’s ex the key to the house where they were living together. She would never have done that when she was married to Matt. Dawson then realized that the only woman who would do something like that is the woman who trusts that her man loves her completely. In truth, Dawson did come back to Chicago to check on Casey, but she was also going to try to convince Matt one more time to come to Puerto Rico with her. She knew though, just by looking at the happy smile on Brett’s face, that any hope of a reconciliation had long since passed.

“I appreciate that Brett, but I am just going to go check into my hotel. I have a meeting tomorrow with our fundraising group, so I should probably rest before that.

Nodding her head, Sylvie immediately knew why Dawson had come. And why she was now changing her plans. “That’s fine Dawson. If you want to see Matt before you leave, just give us a call.”

Without hugging Brett goodbye, Dawson turned and started walking back towards her rental car, knowing that she was going right back to the airport.

_______________________

Time flew quickly over the next few weeks. Casey came back to 51 on desk duty, and then he and the Chief went toe to toe with the CFD brass about Matt going back to being Captain again. They finally won when Casey agreed to sign a letter stating he wouldn’t sue the city if he was injured on the job as it related to his missing spleen.

When things now back to normal, Casey started spending the majority of the time he had off working on their house. He would still work the occasional remodel job, but had since asked the two former fire fighters, Reginald Hartley and Justin Rodriguez to join M. Casey Construction full time. With the tree of them, they were able to take on more the double the number of jobs as before. Casey felt like he was a good 2-3 days away from finishing the house. He convinced Brett to take Amelia to visit her parents one weekend, so he could get some of the louder things done in the house if he didn’t have to worry about bothering Amelia. As soon as his girls left, Casey called Reginal and Justin to come over to the house. Casey had a plan, and he needed the house fully finished for it to work.

It was Sunday night when Sylvie and Amelia got back. She pulled into the driveway, noticing that some of the equipment Matt normally had at the back of the house was gone. Also, all the blinds were shut in on the front of the house. Sylvie could feel her nervousness grow as she got out of the car. She got Amelia out of her car seat, and they walked up the stairs together. Brett quickly prayed that everything was alright with Matt. She tried to open the door, only to find it locked. She used her key, unlocked the door, and entered.

What she saw took her breath away. There were candles everywhere, emitting a soft glow around the downstairs. There were rose petals on the floor. Sylvie quickly went into the nursery, putting Amelia in her crib, knowing what was happening. She turned and walked out, following the rose petals. When she got to their bedroom, there was Matt. He was in a tuxedo, already on one knee. In his hand he held the same blue velvet box as before. Sylvie could feel her heart swell looking at her love.

“Sylvie, I didn’t realize how long I loved you until we danced at Cruz’s wedding. We both have learned life is too short to wait before we move forward with our lives. There is nothing I want more than to share the rest of my life with you and Amelia. The two of you are my whole world. I promise if you say yes, I will spend the rest of my life doing whatever I can to make the two of you happy. Sylvie Brett, will you marry me?”

With tears in her eyes, Brett dropped down to both of her knees in front of him. 

“Yes Matthew Casey, I want nothing more in this world than to be your wife.”

Matt slowly took her engagement ring out of the box, slipping it on her ring finger. They then kissed, a sweet loving kiss, before kissing again. 

“I am so in love with you Matt.”

“Sylvie, I love you too."

_______________________________

The next months flew by. Between work, Amelia, and deciding what they wanted to do for a wedding, both of them felt happy and confident in the life they were building together. One morning between shifts, Brett and Casey were sitting on the couch, Amelia between them. 

“I really don’t want a big wedding love. I just want our family and friends. I would rather spend the money on a nice honeymoon than on a wedding.”

Matt nodded his head in agreement. “Babe, I would marry you in the backyard, as long you become my wife.”

Sylvie’s eyes lit up. The backyard. Some people might have thought that was cheesy, but for them it would be perfect. It wouldn’t cost to much, and Sylvie knew she could figure out a way to fit all their friends and family back there. 

“Matt, I love it. Let’s get married in the backyard.”

Thinking she was joking, Matt replied. “I am all for it if you are.” It was only then that he realized she was serious.

“Really babe?”

“Yes” Brett nodded enthusiastically. Just think, it won’t cost an arm and a leg. It will be intimate, and we can have it whenever we want, and it will be here at our home. Why not let everyone experience the amazing home you remodeled for us?”

Matt was thinking about Brett’s plans, beginning to see what she was saying. Just then, they both heard something that shocked them both.

“Da Da” Amelia said, smiling, obviously quite pleased with herself.

Brett and Casey looked at each other. Amelia’s first words. They were so happy, hugging and smiling at the little one. What remained unspoken hung in the air between them, until Brett looked at Matt.

“We really are her Mom and Dad aren’t we?”

Casey leaned over, kissing both of his girls. “We are babe. And we will try to be the best parents we can be for Amelia. When she is old enough, we will tell her all about Julie and Scott.”

_________________________

The next spring, the backyard was ready. All of their friends from 51 and their families were there. Matt stood under the arch he had built, covered in flowers. In his arms he held his daughter Amelia. He knew as soon as they got back from their honeymoon it would be official, as he and Brett would formally adopt her. Beside him were Severide, Bodden and Jesse. Across from them were Stella, Kidd, and Christie.

As the music started, he saw his beautiful Brett, in an amazing wedding dress, walking toward him, escorted by her father. When they reached Casey, Frank Brett shook Casey’s hand, kissed his daughter on the cheek, and took Amelia from Casey’s arms. Then Brett and Casey looked at each other, realizing that all of their friendship, indecision, and finally love, had brought them to this place. 

__________________________

Two weeks later, after their honeymoon in Jamaica and their adoption of Amelia, Brett stood in the nursery looking at the child she now called her daughter, looking back at her from her crib.

“Well Mrs. Casey.” Matt said reaching his arms around her from behind. “What do you think we should do with this nursery now? It won’t be long before Amelia is upstairs in a big girl bed in her own room.”

Brett turned, kissing her husband deeply. She started to walk towards the den before calling back over her shoulder, “I don’t know love, but I guess the new baby can use it.”

A huge smile formed on Casey’s face, before he turned to run to his wife and find out more about her news.  
_____________________


	8. Epilogue - 5 Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of the Sylvie Brett-Matt Casey story is here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate the kind comments and kudos you have shared with me. I hope you all enjoy this short epilogue to end my tale. 
> 
> Now if all this would only happen on the show, then we would all be happy!

Epilogue – Five Years Later

Matt Casey stood beside his wife’s bed. Both of his daughters, Amelia who was almost 6, and Whitney who was 4, were in his arms, smiling.

“Daddy,” Whitney asked her father. “Is today the day I get to be a big sister?”

“Well baby girl,” Matt responded. “I guess that all depends on your mommy and the baby.”

Sylvie Casey looked up from her bed, smiling at her whole world standing near her. It had only been 6 years ago since Matt has asked her out on her first date, and she sometimes still marveled at the life the two of them had built in what seemed like a short period of time.

“Well my loves,” Brett mentioned, “based on the contractions your little brother is giving me, I would definitely think today will be the day.”

Behind them, the door to Sylvie’s room opened. Matt turned with his daughters to see who it was, only to hear the shrill that only young girls can make when they are excited.

“AUNTIE EM!” the two daughters yelled, almost in unison. Dr. Emily Foster knelt down to the floor. Matt gently placed his girls on the floor, seeing them run over to their friend and former co-worker. Emily wrapped both of the girls in a hug, loving to see one of her best friend’s children so happy.

“Well,” Emily started. “I know that my place is in the ER, but I couldn’t resist coming upstairs to see my favorite power couple.”

Matt laughed at their friend, reaching over to give his former paramedic a hug. “Emily, I am not sure why you keep calling us a power couple, but I love seeing how our girls react when they see you.”

“What on earth do you mean Chief Casey?” Foster shot back, standing up. 

Wallace Bodden had decided to retire two years ago, with Matt being promoted to fill his spot as Chief of Firehouse 51. Casey shook his head slowly. Even after the last couple of years, hearing Chief in front of his name was never something he had gotten used to.

“And you, CEO Sylvie, you know exactly what I am talking about.” Foster said laughing.

Looking back at her friend, Sylvie rolled her eyes. Yes, it was true that she was now CEO of Casey Construction. When Matt had gotten promoted, Sylvie thought about moving to a different firehouse, since she wasn’t allowed to work directly under her husband. Instead, Matt suggested that she take over Casey Construction. She had already been helping him since they got married, and her eye for design made it seem like a perfect fit.

Since she had taken over their company, Sylvie had grown the family business from 4 full time employees to what they now had, 11. She had even been able to find a few female contractors she brought on board to work with them. In the last two years, they had gotten so many jobs that the Chicago Tribune did an article on her for their Sunday paper, dubbing her their own local equivalent to a real life HGTV personality.

“So Emily, things get so boring for you in the ER you had time to come see us? If you would have known this ahead of time, you could have just stayed at 51 with me.” Sylvie laughed at her friend sarcastically, knowing her friend was never not busy.

Foster laughing, replied “Now don’t get me started CEO Casey. I just figured it was about time to take my favorite two girls to the waiting room. Should be about time for the show to start based on how far apart your contractions are.”

Sylvie looked over at the monitor, knowing that her friend was right. She gave her husband a nod, and he picked both of their girls up to give their mom a hug and a kiss before Emily took them to the waiting room.

As Emily walked out with the two Casey girls, hand in hand, she said over her shoulder, “I am not sure what I am going to do when there are three of you little Casey’s running around.”

_____________________

As soon as Dr. Foster got to the waiting room, both Amelia and Whitney broke free from her grip, running towards their family in front of them. 

“Aunt Kelly, Aunt Stella” both of the girls cried out, reversing the names.

Stella Severide was sitting in a hard, plastic chair, which was not doing anything for her back. She looked over at her husband Kelly, who scooped up Whitney, bringing her to rest in his lap.

Amelia looked at Stella shyly. “Aunt Stella, is it okay if I fill your baby kick?”

“Of course kiddo.” Stella replied, bringing the small girl’s hand to her belly. “It won’t be long before I will be back in the delivery room where your mom is. Then you can meet our baby properly.”

Leaning over to kiss his wife’s head, Severide was in heaven. He had always wondered about getting married and having kids, but seeing how easy Sylvie and Matt made it look, he had wasted no time in proposing to Stella. They had now been married for 3 years and were expecting their first child. Kelly figured they had babysat Amelia and Whitney enough, he felt like they were now ready to bring their own child home.

Whitney started leaning toward their Aunt Christie, and her new husband Mark. Across the room, their daughter Violet had knelt down beside Amelia, hugging her first niece.

Together, all seven of them set back, awaiting the good news of a new baby for the Casey household.

____________________

In the delivery room, Sylvie looked over to Matt. “Okay love, I think it’s time.”

Matt leaned down and kissed his wife. “I love you Sylvie. Thank you.”

A curious expression crossed over Sylvie’s face. “What are you thanking me for Matt?”

Matt took a deep breath as his eyes began to water. “Thank you for loving me, and going through this amazing life we have with me.”

Sylvie reached back up and kissed her husband one more. Giggling, she replied, “Love, I should really be the one thanking you. Besides, you are the one who asked me out.” 

As her expression turned more serious, she said, “Matt, you and the girls are my whole world. I couldn’t love you all more if I tried. Thank you for giving me this life we have.”

Near Sylvie’s feet, the OB/GYN looked at the happy couple. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I think it is time to get this show on the road.

____________________________

Roughly an hour later, Brian Wallace Casey laid on Sylvie’s chest, his eyes looking at the face of the woman who gave him life. Their son, named after two of the men that his parents had cared deeply about in their lives. 

Matt was partially sitting on the bed, pushing his hand through the soft hair on his son’s head. He bent over, kissing Sylvie’s forehead.

She looked up, seeing the love radiate from her husband’s eyes towards them. Matt leaned down and kissed the incredible woman he got to call his wife.

“Babe, I can’t believe we are lucky enough to have three children now.”

Sylvie bent down and kissed her son’s forehead. She looked backup at Matt. Her love. The rock she relied on daily. The amazing father to her children.

“Love, you know the only thing that could be better than this?” she asked.

Confused, Matt looked back at Sylvie. “I don’t know babe, what?”

“That would be four children my love.”

______________________________


End file.
